Vaya Con Dios, Mary

 

My Aunt Mary passed away yesterday just a few days shy of her 93rd birthday. That's her seated in the photo with her sister standing next to her. She too died at the age of 92. There was a third sister that made it to 95. However, their brother, my dad, only made it to 74, and it took two open heart surgeries to get that far. One of my mom's sisters is still living but she's the last of that generation in my family. Mary was in an assisted living facility and I hadn't seen her since I helped move her in. I worked for her husband right out of high school before I started college and then off and on after that. He's the one who taught me how to weld, for which I owe an eternal debt of gratitude. 

Having worked on my family history and having attended the family reunions when I was young and all the elders were still around, I learned quite a bit about my people. No royalty or upper crust, just good honest hard-working people. People I'm very proud to call my family. Rest in peace, Mary. You'll be missed.