Nora Belle and John Asher died about 14 months after I was born. I don't remember them.
Their youngest son, James, died about a year before I was born. I never knew him.
They would add another daughter to their family two years after this picture was taken.
I knew their daughters and their surviving son. I have memories of all of them. Very fond memories.
My grandfather and his sisters. Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Mary, Aunt Martha, Aunt Louise, Aunt Eunice.
A visit from the aunts was as exciting as a visit from our grandparents. They were all rare and very special times. The best was when we actually went to visit the aunts or the grandparents. Aunt Martha lived the closest to us. Only a few miles away, in the same county. We didn't go over there often, but it was fun. They had dairy cows and dogs. A great combination for a child. Plus their youngest daughter was only a few years older than me and my sister. A playmate finished out the perfect trificta.
Aunt Myrtle lived in Salina. A trip to Salina was always a fun time. It was even more fun when we stopped in to see Aunt Myrtle. She had a way of making everyone feel special and welcome in her home. There were always cookies, too. Mom made wonderful cookies, but for some reasons eating the same homemade cookie away from home made them taste better.
The special aunt was Aunt Mary. She lived all the way over by the Kansas Missouri border and we rarely saw her. We only went there once, maybe twice on our own. Usually her visits were when Grandma and Granddad came back to visit from California. One time we went there while Grandma and Granddad were back.
Aunt Mary had a fabulous meal ready for us. A roast with a mountain of fluffy mashed potatoes, sweet corn on the cob and freshly baked dinner rolls. The aroma filled her house. From the minute we stepped through her door I was starving. When it was time to sit at the table, she turned to my granddad, her brother and asked him to say grace.
Granddad was a man of few words...except when asked to say grace. With stomachs growling, he didn't say grace, he gave a sermon as we all peered through slits in our supposedly closed eyes at the food right in front of us. It was the only time I believe I ever saw Aunt Mary come close to losing her composure. She was truly grace under fire.
Aunt Louise and Aunt Eunice moved to Oregon around the time I was born, but I remember them. They'd come back for visits. Aunt Louise was the first person I remember having age spots. I'm sure she'd like to be remembered for something other than her age spots.
Aunt Eunice is the one I remember the least, yet she's the one I remember the most, too. A few weeks before Dad died, she called him. I don't remember if he was the one who talked to her or if it was my youngest brother. She was celebrating her 90th birthday and she wanted someone to know it.
All the people who were in the above picture were gone. I suspect she wanted to share that milestone with someone who had known her when she was younger. She called Dad.
We lost Dad at the end of August, less than three weeks after her phone call.
We lost Aunt Eunice a few months later.
Today I've been working on this line of the family. I've been scanning pictures. Uploading pictures to my tree.
And missing each and everyone of my wonderful aunts from my granddad's side of the family. I'm not looking forward to doing Grandma's side. She had a lot of sisters, too.
I grew up with only one blood aunt and three aunt-in-laws. My blood aunt and one aunt-in-law lived close by. The others lived in California. I never felt aunt poor though because there were so many great aunts. And they were great!
Aunties, each and every one of you were the very best. Thank you for the memories.
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