The Lady from Georgia

A littler over a year ago we went to Georgia to attend a funeral. Uncle Bill lost the battle with cancer. Oh I remember the first time we met Uncle Bill. Bill, my step sat us all down and said Uncle Bill is Grumpy. To us young kids yes he appeared grumpy. Years later I rationalized it wasn’t grumpy. He just did not like all the chaos from a large family. Which is amusing because he had five boys and two girls. To conquer his unease he would clean. So our house got cleaned for free. Pretty nice deal. During his funeral, we learned that this grumpy old man was a national hero. He received two purple hearts, during his time in the army. After he retired he became a state trooper. Thanks to him a young girls life was spared after being adducted. Who knew what a hero, Grumpy Uncle Bill was?
Married to Uncle Bill was Aunt Sister, the lady from Georgia. My step dad explained to his new family that she got her name because he called her sister and his children called her Aunt. The name melded together over the years to Aunt Sister. Aunt Sister was the mother of four of the five boys and the two girls. (Uncle Bill had a big secret that he kept from Aunt Sister, he had been married before and had one son) Uncle Bill was in the Army and his family followed him and they saw the world. When he retired, it was in Hinnesville Georgia. There probably isn’t another city in all of USA that better suited these two. Aunt Sister took on a job as a insurance agent and she would travel all over the state selling insurance and meeting some very fine people. Oh the stories she could weave about traveling the world and traveling all over Georgia.
Because she had many children, it is safe to say when they got older they had their own children. So they had many grandchildren. I count at least 11. Those grandchildren are pretty much grown and are having children of their own. She was able she make trips to Texas and SC and Alabama and beyond to visit all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
But alas as time progresses it wears the body down and one cannot do the things they are use to doing. At one time we thought Aunt Sister was loosing her marbles. Poor thing, it was a miscommunication with the doctor and she was accidentally being overdosed. After that was cleared up she got her wit about her back. Has trouble hearing, but still can spin a yarn of a tale. She cannot travel to visit the kin. That is what she holds most precious to her.
Because she has lived so many years, she gathered quite a mass of friends. We visited her last year on her Birthday and Conner sang her the most exuberant rendition of happy birthday a five year old could sing. During our time there, several friends dropped by. Once she use to visit them, now they return the favor and visit her.
Because she has lived so many years, she has also seen a lot of sorrow. She saw her sister pass away at a very young age. Her children were left motherless. Aunt sister stepped in and became their surrogate mother. She has seen one of her Sister’s Children lost, due to a motorcycle accident. She has seen her brother loose a babe only a few days old. She saw her brother pass away too soon. She had to bear the unbearable burden of attending two of her son’s funerals. She had to say goodbye to her husband of almost 70 years.
Aunt Sister, the lady from Georgia.And who is Steve, you may wonder. He is one of her four sons.