R.I.P.

My aunt passed away last night — Daddy’s last sibling, our Cousin E’s mom. It was not really a surprise- she’d not been doing very well for quite awhile now, and when I took Daddy to visit her in Delaware a month ago she was in the hospital and we didn’t get to spend much time at all with her. Which I was upset about then,because she’d been looking forward to the visit and so had Daddy, but now I sure am glad we went. I am also VERY glad Daddy and I made all those trips up there these last couple of years. We went three times this year alone. Flying each time. And I’d finally gotten the hang of Successfully Flying With Your Elderly Parent.  

I don’t know yet when the funeral will be. I’m thinking not before Monday. We went down to Baker B’s mom’s house last night to decorate her tree for her, since we wimped out the day after Thanksgiving, and I’d thrown my purse onto the couch in the livingroom and didn’t hear my phone ring. It was inside the purse and has an annoyingly soft ring despite being turned up as high as it will go. When we were getting ready to leave I heard it beeping, and then saw I had messages from Cousin E, one of her sisters, and Daddy. Immediately knew that was not good. I called everyone right then and talked to all three cousins and Daddy, and it was maybe an hour after Aunt Merle had passed away at that point. They have to transport her from Delaware to Amherst VA, where her husband grew up and is buried, hence the up-in-the-air arrangements.

I am not happy about this whole getting-old-and-all-your-beloved-aunts-and-uncles-and-parents-dying-thing. It really kind of sucks.  

So. I’ll post a couple of pictures, and then I’m going to go watch the Tutors and cheer myself up. Because watching Anne Boleyn getting her head chopped off is going to be a whole lot cheerier than this. I’ll catch up with everyone this weekend. 

Daddy and Aunt Merle right after WW2 ended. I think he’d just gotten home. He said he got off the train and Pop made him go straight to work. But Merle sure looked glad to see him. 

Merle in the middle and her younger sisters on each side. 

Merle and a baby — I am pretty sure it’s Cousin E, Baby # 1

I’ve always thought this was a very amusing picture — obviously nobody is all that thrilled about having their photo taken. It’s Daddy, Merle, Mabel and Jean.  

Mabel, Merle and Jean:

The whole family- HL, Sis, Merle, Daddy, Mabel and Jean. Daddy is the only one left. 

And more recently- Aunt Merle and the Adorable Celia a couple of years ago:

And Aunt Merle and Daddy on the same visit –