The Last Aunts

In the last few months, our last surviving aunts died in their mid-nineties. I turn 80 in October and Andy is two years ahead of me. It seemed like the end of an era, the last vestiges of our childhoods. As my mother remarked after the death of her father, "Now we are the old people." 

My Aunt Jeanne lived in Toledo, Ohio all her life. She married my Uncle Jim Baehren, my dad's only brother. Jim served in the Army in World War II, earning a Bronze Star for bravery. Together they raised a son and daughter. Jim worked with my Grandpa at Baehren Photo and Jeanne stayed home with the kids. Their daughter married young and had two children. When her husband left her, Jim and Jeanne took them in. Jeanne took care of the kids while Kathy worked at Baehren Photo with her dad, while earning a teaching degree at Toledo University. Jeanne was an active volunteer and was known for her beautiful crafts and cookie-baking skills, as well as being a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother. She and Jim loved cruising the inland waterway in their boat, the Jeannie B. 

My husband's Aunt Mary grew up in Wales, the oldest of five sisters. At the age of 18, she married his Uncle Janek Bialas, a Polish man twice her age. They shared a house with Andy's family in Lancaster, England and had a daughter Sally (Salomea). In a household that spoke only Polish, Mary helped Andy learn the English language so that he could thrive in school. Eventually Mary and Janek settled in Chicago. When her husband died in his 50s, Mary went to work for Zenith. She dedicated her time and talents to organizations that celebrate the culture and heritage of the United Kingdom. She loved to travel and was devoted to her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To the end, she was bright as a new penny and interested in everyone and their activities.

Andy and I are grateful for the roles these wonderful women played in our lives and will remember them always.