"Tee" or "T-Bird" Delisio, dearest friend, partner and wife of Robert Dale (Bob) Langer passed away on April 23rd 2026, 3 months and a day shy of 75 years on this earth. Extraordinarily kind, unassuming with remarkable practical smarts and understated beauty, Tee loved cats, birds, and beautiful vistas. She loved the views around her summer home in Star Valley Wyoming, with lots of wildlife, plenty of birds, butterflies and nearby waterfalls, streams, rivers and trails. She loved the wildflowers that were everywhere in the early summer and the hearty ones that continued later, with the bunches that Bob would pick for her along the trail that they'd take home in wet paper towels to enjoy in vases for a few days. And she loved the flowers and green and countless birds around her winter home in Florida -- even the crazy Sand Cranes. And the airplanes, classic cars and camaraderie of the airpark community where she lived. An amazing craftswoman, Tee made stained glass in her younger days, and unique jewelry in beads and fused glass after she retired. She also made short work of 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.
Born in Webster Massachesetts, to Josephine (nee Gallo) and Frank Delisio, Tee had two older sisters, Kathy and Thea who have also passed on. Tee's grandparents had a commercial nursery and greenhouse and Tee's family lived next to it. She had lots of stories of good times, mischief and awe in the beauty of the myriad plants and flowers they grew. With her childhood friend Linda she would sneak sprigs of lilacs from the neighbor's bushes where they hung over the fence. Cats were a big part of their world -- their cats mated once and they watched the kittens being born. Tee's father had a taxi stand in their small town, Buick Cab -- although he was driving Chevy's by the time Tee was aware. He was very friendly with the local police, so Tee and her sisters couldn't get away with anything. Her dad would drive Tee and Linda and their moms to the large lake that gave the town its character, Lake Chaubunagungamaug (which means 'you fish on your side, I'll fish on my side, and nobody fishes in the middle'). Tee said that they needed to demonstrate that they could spell the name of the lake to pass from 3rd to 4th grade! Decades later Tee and Linda reconnected when their mom's were in the same nursing home -- and for nearly 20 years they communicated nearly every day until Tee was hospitalized this last time, updating each other on happenings in their everyday lives. Tee actually did make it to Woodstock, in a car loaded with too many people. She remembered lots of rain and mud and not much about the music, couldn't find her ride back as the Festival ended, but somehow managed to get home. When she was about 18, her sister Thea convinced her to visit in Arizona where she discovered life beyond the northeast. Webster never felt the same. In her early 20s, with first husband Ed and newborn daughter Angie, Tee had a 2 year back-to-the-land adventure in a make-shift cabin with a dirt floor in West Virginia.
Tee lived most of her life in Columbus Ohio where she leaves many wonderful friends. In Columbus she met Don through a meditation group -- which led to many other lasting friendships and some world travel for pilgrimages and retreats (not exactly the luxury kind). Tee and Don were together for more than 30 years until he passed in 2013. Much of that time they worked alongside one another in the Medical Records Department of Riverside Hospital -- at first, retrieving and filing patient charts -- and then as Outpatient Coders. They worked at Riverside for over 25 years where colleagues became lifelong friends who stayed in touch and visited throughout Tee's years in retirement. Tee always had a productive vegetable garden in Columbus and often brought fresh tomatoes into the office to share. She also had the most beautiful, prolific wisteria vine that ran the entire length of her garage. It was an awesome sight! After Tee moved from Columbus, Carolyn -- one of her good friends from Riverside -- and Tee would set a time to talk by phone every few weeks. Those conversations could last for hours and leave Tee glowing.
For vacations, Tee and Don came to enjoy traveling to Vegas to play at casinos, taking advantage of the deals as the parade of new ones developed with each trying to top the last. Tee loved playing the video slots. She was always cold in Ohio and wanted to retire in Vegas because it was hot. Knowing that he had terminal cancer, and knowing that she loved Vegas, Don moved Tee to Sun City Anthem, a 55+ community in Henderson NV with a built-in social network and a wide variety of clubs and activities shortly before he passed. Reaching out to make friends at the Community Center, Tee met Judi in a crafts class and they bonded over recent loss, video slots, love of virtually any craft, dinners out, genuine companionship and tons of fun selling their wares at craft shows. Judi, and a handful of other women helped Tee rebuild her world in Henderson. Judi and Tee remained close for the rest of Tee's life, by phone, visiting in Florida or back in Henderson after Tee moved away. And they were both thrilled when Judi decided to move to Florida in 2026 -- new craft sales on the horizon -- but not to be.
With some trepidation, around 2015, Judi and Tee went together to a Verizon store to be ushered into the world of smart phones. That turned out to be important because it made it possible for Tee communicate with Bob after she found him on Match.com. Tee and Bob had their first date at Baby Cakes, a pastry shop in the M Casino near Tee's house, just after both of their birthdays (which were a week apart) on July 29, 2016. They lived at opposite ends of the Vegas valley, about a 40 minute drive. Bob would put her address into Google maps and get ETAs from the 'Lady in the Box' that he would share with Tee. Opposites in many ways, together they found a balance that helped them both to thrive. The refrain of a favorite song that Bob would sing for her said it all "You're the one I thought I'd never find." They truly fell in love when Tee came up to Wyoming in August. She flew commercial from Vegas to Idaho Falls where Bob picked her up in his airplane, Bluebird, and took her on a short flight over the mountains to Star Valley. It was her first time in a small airplane and she arrived at Alpine Airpark in Star Valley with a big grin. Some photos from that magical visit are below.
Eventually Tee moved into Bob's place in Centennial Hills (northwest Vegas), a house surrounded by spectacular roses that they both adored. And with entrancing whirligigs in the gardens. A few years later, Bob suggested that they retreat from the Vegas heat. Tee was always cold so only a slight degree of change was in the cards. So they explored Southwest Florida, renting a few places between Naples and North Fort Myers in 2018. The climate fit and they liked the open spaces and greenery in North Fort Myers. And it turned out that there was an airpark there where they could live alongside Bluebird. They moved into Pine Shadows Airpark in 2019 (transplanting some whirligigs), planning winters in Florida and summers in Wyoming.
Bob proposed to Tee on Valentines Day 2021. They planned to marry around their birthdays in July. But on April 16th they learned that Tee had lung cancer so they moved the wedding up. On short notice they decided to have a ceremony with a few neighbors in their driveway. But one of the couples invited, Ed and Caelie, made an offer they couldn't refuse -- their lanai. Since there wasn't time to shop, they exchanged rings that Tee made from bead filament, with promises to replace (which they did). They were married on April 18, 2021. Ed took video which you can stream from a post below. After vows, and rings, Bob serenaded his bride.
They loved to travel, and, after being dragged kicking and screaming onto her first cruise, Tee became quite fond of cruising. They took 18 voyages in their 10 years together, venturing as far east as Greece, as far west as Australia, and north to Alaska, with lots of stops in-between, especially in the Caribbean. In December 2025, as Tee was regaining her strength after yet another health challenge, they sailed the leeward islands on the Queen Elizabeth with Raymond, a friend for decades, and Rachel, an amazing caregiver who made that trip possible.
Italian to the core, she was a pizza-pasta-holic who was somehow immune to gaining weight from that diet. And she loved to talk about making gnocchi with her mother.
Tiny, with an amazing will, for 5 years she overcame one health challenge after another while remaining a steady and kind partner for Bob (her Bobby), and a dear friend to so many that she'd known for decades - until she just ran out of road.
The beautiful indomitable angel who kept me in balance will suffer no more. The 10 year loan of the kindest soul I have ever known has been called. My darling Tee, my hero who soldiered through so much, may you rest in well-deserved peace.
My Love Always,
Bobby
Tee's first trip to Bob's place in Star Valley, WY - August 2016.