I have a very difficult time referring to Aunt Sally in the past-tense. The loss of such an influential and important woman will take a great deal of time to process and accept.
Among many other things, Sally and I shared a deep love of musical theater shopping and most importantly, food! Some of my fondest memories of her are from our lunch dates together. We’d pretend that it would be a hard decision whether or not to have dessert at the end of our meals, knowing full well that we would. This hilarious dynamic repeated each and every time we’d dine together. Her infectious laugh was my favorite of all of her lovely characteristics. Always a delight to hear. I couldn’t begin to count the number of times we’d get into laughing fits over complete nonsense. I will miss this very much.
From a very young age, I remember hearing my Mom (Sally’s youngest sister, Betty) on the phone with Sally multiple times per week. They’d spend hours blethering, giggling, catching up on each other’s news and setting world straight. I’ll always remember their close bond. After my mom passed in 2002, Sally quickly became my greatest support at a time when I needed a strong female in my life the most. I always felt unconditional love and inclusion from her and will be forever grateful to have had such a wise, kind and loving role model.
Aunt Sally was very proud of her husband, Ian and her children, Alan, Gordon and Marianne, with good reason. She was an outstanding and involved grandmother and a devoted Sister and Aunt. Needless to say, family was always her top priority. Our lives are more beautiful for knowing her. I’ll always remember to “gie it laldy”, as she would often say.
