On Monday October 18 my Auntie Margie passed away. Although I was aware of her health issues and that she had had recent heart surgery, it was unexpected news to me, as I'm sure it was for all of her family, immediate and extended. The day following the news of her death, as I was thinking about her, I knew that I wouldn't be able to attend her funeral which will be this Saturday in Mississippi, and so I wondered... what can I do to pay tribute to my aunt? The thought came to me immediately, to feature her in a special Family Friday. So here are just a few of my memories of my Auntie Margie.... Auntie Margie was born in Birstall, England; on December 18, 1940. She was the eighth of nine children born to my grandparents. Only five of those children lived to adulthood. In England, my grandparents and their two eldest children worked every day. My dad who was just a boy himself, had the responsibility to take care of his two younger siblings, Marjorie and Derek every day after school. He has shared stories of this time in his life many times over the years, and always with fondness and a deep love for his brother and sister.
During my growing up years we didn't have a lot of extended family nearby. Many of our aunts, uncles and cousins lived out of state and out of the country, but there was a time when both of my dads sisters lived nearby; I have very happy memories of those years.
My first memory of Auntie Margie was when she and her family came to visit us when I was in elementary school. She had three of the cutest little girls you ever saw, all of them younger than me. They also brought a dog... a Beagle named Sheba. I enjoyed their visit so much, I remember crying when they left. When they later moved to Utah we were very happy, it was fun to have our cousins nearby and we often spent time at each others homes. When I started Jr. High I became the babysitter for my three younger cousins, they were my favorite babysitting family. Annette, Alana, Rita and I had so much fun together. I had many sleepovers at their house.
Auntie Margie was a hard worker. Any employer was lucky to have her in their employment. She was a hard worker at home too. Her house was always immaculate, she had great coffee table books and interesting statues in her home as well, and a really awesome harpsichord. I loved that harpsichord, I'd never seen one before. Her family was always well taken care of too. It was always fun to go to her house. She always had treats on hand. She was a fun Aunt. I remember trips to Bear Lake and Willard Bay and sailing in a "cool" sailboat.
I remember when Auntie Margie went to the temple for the first time. My Mother had just purchased a new temple dress that she was going to wear for the first time that night. I had just fallen asleep when suddenly there was Auntie Margie, kneeling by my bed telling me about her wonderful night at the temple; and then she told me that Mother had let her wear her new dress. She told me that it made her "...feel like a bride."
Auntie Margie always had a present for us on our birthdays. She knew just the right thing to get too. On my 13th birthday she gave me the first
Partridge Family album. I was thrilled!! I didn't even have a record player to play it on, but whenever I went to babysit my cousins I took my precious album with me to play on the record player at their house, and the four of us danced and sang all night. Whenever one of my siblings had a birthday we were all excited, because Auntie Margie always had "un-birthday" surprises for the rest of us. She was always thinking of us. When Mother was expecting David, Auntie Margie was soooo excited. She was buying things for the baby all of the time. When David was born he had so many nice baby clothes and other items, compliments of Auntie Margie. When our families new home was under construction, Auntie Margie showed up one night with fish-n-chips for dinner. We all sat around on our future kitchen floor and enjoyed that wonderful treat.
When Auntie Margie's family moved to San Diego at the beginning of my sophomore year it was hard to see them go. I was there when they closed the door on the moving van and drove away. I don't think I've seen Auntie Margie more than five times since that day... that thought makes me sad.
The last time I saw Auntie Margie was in July of 2006 when we celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Auntie Margie surprised us all by coming all the way from Mississippi to attend. We were so happy to see her and we knew that she was happy to see each of us. During the celebration she took me and my five siblings aside, calling some of us by nicknames we hadn't heard in years; names that she used to call us. She presented each one of us with a gift from her, I suppose you could say she gave each one of us an "un-anniversary" gift. So typical of our Auntie Margie who loved us, because... that's just the way she was. Love you Auntie Margie.
This is how I will always remember my Auntie Margie
The picture to the right has nothing whatsoever to do with the BHS upcoming production of Crazy For You... this is Caitlin in RMT's production of Music Man last summer... I just think it's a darling picture of her.
