My aunt Barbara passed away yesterday. We were never close, but she was the last of her siblings to pass on, even though she was the oldest. I know that was hard on her. Now its finally her turn. May she find rest.
She played a pivotal role in my life, long before I was even conceived. After her mother, my grandmother, had passed away, Barb took it upon herself to put my mother through college. I doubt she ever understood this nuclear engineering thing my mother studied, but she supported it. And eventually my mother met another engineer and here I am today.
It wasn’t unexpected – she had been declining for a while – but I’m surprised at how choked up I am about her passing. Outspoken, disapproving, warm and alive – often in the same sentence.
I remember a message she once left on our answering machine. Her voice sounded so similar to my dead mother’s voice, with the same Pennsylvania accent, that it sent chills up my spine.
Thanks Barb, for all you’ve done and all you were – you’ll be missed – and in the end, what more is there, than to be missed?