My Aunt Sue Is Gone

I saw Aunt Sue on Wednesday, March 18th, when I took her to lunch for her birthday. It had be come an annual tradition for us. When I picked her up, she said she had no idea where she wanted to go, and we finally ended up at Uncle Julio's in west Fort Worth. We both laughed when we realized we had gone to the same restaurant the previous year. Unfortnately, Aunt Sue collapsed in her front yard some 36 hours later, and the paramedics were unable to revive her. She had a serious lung disease, COPD, brought on by years of smoking, although she had long since quit.

Aunt (we've always pronounced it "ain't") Sue was my dad's big sister. She had been widowed since 1983, and had no children. But she always treated her neices and nephews like we were hers. She said my dad and her other 2 brothers didn't appreciate having children as much as they should. I'm sure she felt that way because of the heartache of trying for so long, and losing the babies she was able to conceive (she had several still births, including a set of twin girls). She and her husband, my Uncle R.L. ("Oogie") kept my brothers and I over several summers. My brother Richard and I spent the first half of my fourth grade year with them in Leesville, LA. My uncle, career army, was stationed at Fort Polk then.

Anyway, lots of memories. She will be laid to rest this Saturday. Her loss is, and will continue to be, deeply felt.