Barb said she stayed at the Garcia house for supper many times. “Leo cooked, and he was pretty good. I was kind of scared of him, though. It was his temper. Something would irritate him and he got angry so quickly. It didn’t last long, but it was frightening for me. His own kids got real quiet when he blew up. We were all afraid of him.”

Although the Garcia children could do pretty much what they wanted if they didn’t get in their father’s way, there was one area that was forbidden to them. None of them was ever allowed in Leo’s bedroom. Beyond his warning of what would...