Reynaldo Gumucio was raised speaking Quechua and Spanish in Bolivia. He was born on April 29, 1939. He was the youngest child by many years, so it often felt like he was an only child.

While he cites his childhood as a mostly happy one, the political instability and various coups taking place in Latin America at the time left Gumucio with lots of scary memories. In high school, he joined organizations that actively fought the spread of Communism in his country.

Three major events took place in late adolescence and early adulthood that changed Gumucio’s life forever. One was his mother’s passing, which happened after multiple strokes. Second, his father sent Gumucio to study in the United States after high school, and this was his first time being on his own. Third was his father’s sudden death a couple years after Gumucio’s move to America.

It was while he was working toward his degree in America that he met his wife, Billie, and they were married in 1965. They raised three sons: Charles, Rick and Eddie.

Life brought them to Springfield because Billie’s family had been living here. The Gumucios wanted to move away from the big cities after their six-year residence back in Bolivia after their sons were born. Gumucio started working with City Utilities in a water treatment lab in 1982.

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Music is Bach Cello Suite no. 3 by Colin Carr from the Free Music Archive.

Episodes are edited, recorded, mixed, and published by Diana Dudenhoeffer.