Happy Birthday Aunt Margie

Today would have been my Aunt Margie's 104th birthday. She was and probably forever remains the matriarch of our family. An amazing woman who lived a life of grace and joy. 

It's hard for me to really tell Aunt Margie's story because it all came to me filtered through my grandma's eyes. Their story really was one story in so many ways.

Aunt Margie was the oldest of three children born in 1910. Her sister and lifelong best friend was born in 1911 and younger brother (whom I never met) was born in 1912. Having three children so close together wore out my great grandmother and she passed away soon after. Leaving these three to be raised by an absentee father and a series of housekeepers. 

At one point my great grandfather met a woman and fell in love with her, married her and then informed her that he had three children. My great grandma was pretty cool but this

Aunt Margie 1976

isn't her story. 

Grandma and Aunt Margie were products of their time and like most tweets and teenagers wanted to go along with latest fashions. They stopped wearing stockings and started wearing knee socks and were whipped. They cut their hair and were called whores (or visa versa)At the tender age of 14 & 15 they moved out of their parents home and moved into the Y (I think the YWCA because it was for women and it was the 1920's). As always they stood together.

I don't know much about Aunt Margie's first marriage with the exception that it produced

Uncle Johnny on the left, Aunt Margie on the right 1994ish

two remarkable men. In Her early to mid thirties she met my Uncle Johnny who wad ten years her junior. If course I don't know much about their courtship but they married and had sixty years together (and three more children)

Now comes the bias from my side of the family. Aunt Margie was sweet and nurturing. Always there for us but she had Uncle Johnny to lean on. She was able to stay home, had an easier life. Grandma on the other hand was wild and free, went through men, three husband's for five children... and even then took care of herself. She held TWO jobs during the depression. And from her late thirties on, did it all on her own. She was strong, she was tough..Get the implications?

Those implications came crashing down in the late 80's Aunt Margie was hospitalized, it was series and my mom was with my grandma when she git the news. My grandma, my tough, strong, do it on her own grandma, crumbled. Fell apart, lost it. Seems Aunt Margie was her rock. My mom was afraid that if Aunt Margie died so would grandma. She was so worried that she visited Aunt Margie while she was still recovering and told her, she had to get better. More than that, she had to make sure and lived long enough so that grandma would go first. It seems grandma wasn't strong enough to survive her sister. We lost grandma in 1992 but Aunt Margie was with us for another 12 years.

Years where each of my children were blessed to meet her, love her and grieve when she left us.

A truly great work.and who brought joy to every single member of her family and More. All because she remained true to who she was. I admired her so very much and loved her more. 

Shauni