It all began...

NOTE: All referenced years in parenthesis are Birth-Death dates.  I will also only reference full names of people proven or presumed to be dead.  Living people will be referenced by their first names only for clarity.

Many have asked concerning the steps I took in finding my biological family...  I suppose a proper introduction is in order:

My given name is Richard Stephen Fisher. I was born in July 9, 1968 in Phoenix, AZ.  I was adopted at birth by Donna and Clarence "Chuck" Fisher of Bisbee, AZ.  I also have a brother, Michael.  I have been married twice and have four fantastic children.

Chuck was a hard working man.   He worked for the Phelps Dodge Corporation as a mechanic at the Cooper Queen Mine in Bisbee. Around 1971, the Copper Queen was shut down and he was transferred to the Tyrone Mine in Grant County, NM.  Donna was a homemaker, and a good one, at that.  After staying in Tyrone for about a year, they bought a house in Silver City, NM. Chuck finally retired after, I believe, was 32 years of service to PD. Donna started working in the early 1980s to help with the family income because PD was going through times of strikes and the economy, towards the end of the Carter Administration wasn't stellar.  She worked as a Lab tech at the Hospital in Silver City, and later as a receptionist and accountant for a Dr's office up until she could not work anymore due to her health (around 1997).  Our family stayed at the house in Silver City until Donna passed away in 1999 and Chuck passed away in 2006. My adoptive brother, Michael, stayed in the house for a few years after that, but eventually relinquished it to his 2nd wife in their divorce.

I was told early in my life that I was adopted.  I later learned that one of my adopted parents' surname was "Pacheco," that my parents were very young and that my birth mother requested that I be named "Michael."  Unfortunately, Donna and Chuck already had a son named "Michael,"  hence I was named "Richard." I later discovered that she requested this so I'd be named after my biological father.

As the years went by, my children asked me if I would ever be interested in finding out who my biological parents were.  I thought about this for a while and decided that perhaps someday I would look into it.

I was a fairly good kid.  Didn't get into a lot of trouble, was an average student, played Soccer, Tennis, was in the Band (Saxophone) and Choir, and was Drum Major for the Band my Junior and Senior year.  I was also awarded the John Phillips Sousa Award in 1985 and was selected for the New Mexico All-State Choir in 1986.   After graduation,  and not knowing where I was going to get money for college, and knowing there was no way my parents could pay for it, I joined the U.S. Army and entered on duty in October 1986.

To make a long story short (I know... too late...)  I got married in 1991, went to college for a while, had 3 kids, got divorced and re-married (different woman) in 2000 and we have one child. I medically retired after a combined 15 1/2 years of active Army and Army National Guard service in 2006, however I became a Law Enforcement Officer in 1998.  Looking forward to my retirement in September 2018.

Alright, now to the search...

In 2015, the questions about finding out about my biological family became more pressing, as my youngest son has some health issues and I also was showing some problems that could be genetically founded.  My wife and I talked about it and we decided it was time to start the search.

The Ancestry.com DNA tests were becoming popular and so my wife bought me a kit for Christmas.  I immediately gave my sample and shipped it off.  I remember it took almost two months to get my results back.  I opened the website to discover I had a presumed 3rd Cousin match (Gilbert), and some more distant 4th or longer cousins.  I was soon contacted by Johana, who messaged me and said that I was a match to their son, her husband, Tony  and his father, Daniel. She also informed me that Gilbert was her husband's Great Uncle.  It gave me a place to start. I began working what is called a "mirror tree," which is a genealogical tree of someone you wish to find more information on, and possibly a connection.

I had a few hints so I know what I was looking for... someone who was named Pacheco who was in or near Phoenix around the time of my birth, and that they were very young.  I defined young as being 15-24 years, for the purpose of my search.

The majority of the people I discovered in Gilbert's family were of the Gomez Family, mostly being from Jalisco, Mexico up until the early 1900s when they immigrated to AZ and California. I was able to put their tree together quite quickly due to the research already done by Johana.  I discovered a man named Atanacio Gomez (1877-1942) who was married to Reyes Ruiz (1877-1904) and had three children, which were connected to Gilbert.  He also had a second wife, Francisca Ramirez-Lopez (1885-1969) with whom he had 13 children, one of them being Maria Gomez (1908-?).  Maria married Jose Juvenal Pacheco (1905-1957).  They had a son named Luis Humberto Pacheco (1931-1989) who had been in Arizona, a second son and two daughters.  It was here that I thought I might be on the right track, and I would be within one or two generations of finding my birth parents.  It was here I hit the wall!

I had information that Luis had married Penny Chigara (1938-?) and also Esther Diaz (?-?).  I could not find any connection with them in Arizona.  They all had lived and died  in California.  This is where I was stuck for several months.  I would work on mirror trees with other distant matches, but for a long time I made no headway breaking the "Luis Humberto" barrior.  Knowing I was close with Luis, I inserted myself in the tree as Luis' Grandson, knowing he would have been too old to be my father, according to lore.

I did manage to make contact with a few other distant matches, one is Samantha, being possibly a 5th cousin, who had also just recently found her biological father.  I also found out that my band teacher in Jr High/High School, the one who taught me everything I know about playing a saxophone and one of my favorite teachers of all time, Robert,  has a DNA match to me as a possible 4th Cousin! His daughter Jackie, who has been a friend of mine since we were in school, was ecstatic when I told her.

It was on January 1st, 2017 when the Luis Humberto barrier was broken!  I logged in to Ancestry to find that I had a 1st-2nd Cousin match to Tammy (1C1R)!  I was excited!  I immediately messaged her.  It took four long, grueling days for her to respond, at which time she told me that she had cousins living in Phoenix about the time I was born.  During that day at work, I started working a mirror tree on Tammy and found a Barbara A White (1930-1990) who appeared to be Tammy's Aunt.  I found a Social Security Applications and Claims Index for Barbara, indicating she had previously had the names Barbara Anella Stephens and Barbara Anella Pacheco, but I could not find anything else through Ancestry.  I did what I think most people would do... Google it!!

I did a search in Google for Barbara Anella Pacheco and got hit from an obscure genealogical website.  It's a pay-for-play website, but gives you just enough information to tease you. Anyway, the website had an entry for Barbara saying that her husband was Humberto Pacheco!! Knowing I had an Humberto in my Gomez tree, I went back and looked... it was Luis for sure!  Suddenly all the pieces started to fit.  Not long after my discovery, Tammy messaged me that again she had cousins living in Phoenix.  I asked her any of her cousins happened to be named "Pacheco?" This was her response (we were discussing using FaceTime to contact each other later in the day):

Talk about shock!!  The answer was there!! My birth mother turned out to be her Cousin!  Tammy talked with me on FaceTime later that evening for at least an hour, discussing some family matters and what lead to my birth parents decision to put me up for adoption.  Tammy said that she was 99% sure that my mother would want to make contact with me, so I agreed and she said she would talk to her as soon as she could and tell her.  After about two hours, I received this from my birth mother, Linda:

Yes, Dear Richard, that is the day I gave birth to a son in Phoenix, Arizona. And yes...I requested the baby to be named Michael, because that is the name of the father who I was with for 5 years, from age 14-19. 

I know you have been in contact with my cousin Tammy and that through genetic testing she was the closest match to yours. How wonderful. 

I saw photos of you TAmmy sent me. They were facebook photos. 

You do so resemble so many members of our family. My father was Mexican. My heart is indeed touched by all this. I wish to send you a photo of me, for I am sure you would like to see one. I am sending the most recent so you can see me. It was taken just this past summer. I live in Canada. I moved here when I was 19. I am 65 years old now. I still work as a Registered Nurse doing house calls. 

There is much to share. May our hearts connect as we both surely have hoped and dreamed about. Blessings to your and yours. Amazing to hear I am not only a grandmother, but a great grandmother. 🌷

I have been in touch with your father my whole life. Every time over the past 45 years I visited Phoenix I visited him. I will be sending him an email about you if you wish. 

With heartfelt gratitude that this has happened
Love, 
Linda

She then contacted my birth father, with whom she had stayed in contact all these years!  The next morning I received the following from my birth father, Michael:

Hi Rich, I was just getting used to being a Grandfather, now I learn I'm a Great Grandfather, it's been quite a day. Your younger brother would like to have a word with you, he's also sending along a friends request. If you haven't been to my homepage yet I'd like for you to know I am not quite the maniac portrayed there, close, but I have moments of remission. I read your e-mail to Linda, sounds like you've had more than a few adventures in your time, and you've raised some nice kids, your daughter still in Tempe? There's lots to catch up on and I believe we've time to do that, looking forward to meeting you and yours face to face, I hope we can do it soon. I think I can speak for Linda and myself in saying "Pleased to make your acquaintance".

I had done it!! It took almost a year, but I did it!! I had found my biological family.  Not only that , I have two half-brothers! My mother lives in Canada, so it will be a while before I can visit her, but we did get on Skype and chat for almost two hours, and she is a delightful lady!  She did tell me that she never changed her last name in hopes that I would someday find her.  My birth-father lives only three hours away and we have met with him and his family, and my half-brother twice now.  I have met my paternal Grandmother and Great Aunt. It is like we have known each other all our lives and we have so much in common, it's like we grew up together.

So there is my story.  I hope it will give some of you hope that it can be done, Genealogical DNA science is real and it works. Everyone in both my families are excited with the discovery.  All I can say is be patient, and Google everything!!

Best wishes to you all!

Richard Fisher

Daniel (M-3C1R) and Tony (M-3C) B. with Gilbert (M-1C2R)

Barbara A Pacheco (Maternal Grandmother)

Daniel (M-2C1R) with Tony, and Daniel B.

 Henrietta (Paternal Great Aunt)

Linda (Mother)

Julian (Maternal Half-brother)

Luis Humberto Pacheco (Maternal Grandfather)

Ivan du Grea (AKA Michael, my father)

Paternal Grandmother Cherry

Tammy (M-1C1R)

Hunter (Paternal Half brother) 

Michael (Father)