GRAND Magazine - July 2009 - 36

GRAND’s 2009 Sexiest GRANDdad e FWinner THTHe inalisTs Rainer Radecker Uniondale, new York “Being sexy means compromising. My wife and I compromise on even the littlest things.” of Monaco was a young man. “My mom liked the name. The only difference is she left out the extra ‘i’ at the end.” His parents emigrated from Germany to the U.S. in 1956. Radecker has been a motorcycle mechanic since before graduating from high school. “You might say I was obsessed,” he laughs. “I’ve had a motorcycle since I was 15 and drove one for 30 years. I never drove a car until just recently,” deciding that driving in zero-degree weather wasn’t as much fun as it used to be. He and his wife, Nancy, high school sweethearts, have been married for 24 years. Last May they celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first date. When it comes to his granddaughter, Isabella, 2, his voice is filled with love. “When Isabella came along, I was getting lonely,” he says. One daughter was married, and the other was busy. “My heart ached with that empty-nest syndrome everyone talks about,” he says. Isabella gives him “something to look forward to, every day.” Is he sexy? “I still have a great head of hair, and I make sure it looks great. I can’t go out having my hair look a wreck. I may be a mechanic, but I don’t want to look like one after I leave the shop. “I cook all the meals—always. My wife appreciates it.” And he does all the shopping. “I shop every day because I never know how many people will be over for dinner. I firmly believe it’s important to sit down to dinner with your kids, share a meal, talk.” R ainer (pronounced Ry-ner) Radecker was born when Prince Rainier kinds of bad things,” he says. A retired master sergeant from the U.S. Army, Martinez was involved in the 1965 civil war in the Dominican Republic and did a three-year tour of duty in Vietnam. After returning to civilian life, he says he treated his wife and kids like they, too, were in the military. “That didn’t sit well. My wife, Elaine, helped me to make the transition. If, by this age, you don’t understand your wife’s needs, you are sorely remiss.” Now retired, he still works occasionally as a one-man show in the construction business he founded and that, before the current economic collapse, employed 27 people. Martinez loves the sound of a child’s laughter. “It is the best medicine you can ever have.” With 24 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, he’s got plenty of medicine! The Grand Prize Winner and top four finalists were interviewed for this article by GRAND’s Detroit Metro regional editor, Suzanne Finley 36 GRAND JULY “P eople need discipline; otherwise you get involved in all Louis (“Marty”) Martinez lakewood, colorado “If you can cry with your children, you can fix anything together.” 2009

GRAND Magazine - July 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - July 2009