From 2010

Feeling broken hearted today. I got a call at ten this morning from my aunt in Oroville. We don’t talk very often so as soon as I heard her voice I knew what prompted her call. Her sister, my sweet Aunt Bertie, died last night. I suppose I knew it was coming...she has had an aggressive cancer for many months, but the last I heard she had “good days and bad”. In my hopeful human mind I saw this as a good sign ~ that she was getting better overall and would enjoy her family, and be enjoyed by them, for a few more years.

My mom and her four sisters and three brothers grew up in the 1930s and 1940s to be a tight knit family, stitching themselves together after each one grew up and left home, with pot luck dinners at every holiday and many birthdays, picnics during the summer and an occasional excursion to the beach.
Sometimes Uncle Dwain (Mom’s oldest brother/sibling) would bring his guitar, a microphone and a speaker to a family gathering. They would set up in the living room they had all grown up in, and the brothers and sisters would start to sing. The music was a lively “Country and Western” variety and once her vocal cords were warmed up Aunt Bertie would start to yodel. She had an amazing voice that never cracked on those high notes. As a five year old, I think the only time I sat still for more than a few minutes at Grandma and Grandpa’s was when Aunt Bertie mesmerized me with her vocal acrobatics.

Aunt Bertie had a gentle and generous spirit, giving to those in need, sharing her home with family and friends, and always taking the time to talk if you give her a call. She had a laugh that still brings a smile to my face as I sit here thinking about it. Not a little girlie laugh, but a robust laugh that was honest and full of sincerity. Her heart was warm and in her presence you knew you were loved. She has always been a special treasure in our family and she will be sorely missed. But what we learned from her will continue as we pass it down to our own children...and to our nieces and nephews.

Thanks, Aunt Bertie, for enriching my life!