Aunt Daisy

This BLOG will have nothing to do with Runnemede, but everything to do with my mother's family.

Aunt Daisy (left in the picture on left and in hospital bed in picture on right) was my mother's oldest sister. She started having children when my mom was about 10 years old. So Ruth (her oldest, not pictured) was only 10 years younger than my mother. And the families merged together, so that cousins were like brothers and sisters. I don't remember who Micki said the girl was in the picture. But it's one of the Evangelista sisters.

Aunt Daisy married Maurice Evangelista (pictured with her on the right in the left-hand picture). I don't know the year. And they had lots of children -- seven girls and one boy. One of the girls, Mary, lived only a short time. She died of pneumonia when she was 6 years old.

The only Aunt Daisy I knew was the one in the hospital bed. She had a stroke sometime in the 1940s and the only times I saw her were at the rehab center (they didn't call them rehab centers in those days, they were institutions) in Lima, PA. Mom took me with her several times to visit with Aunt Daisy.

Aunt Daisy looked like my mom, but she also resembled Aunt Francis (my mother's other older sister). I thought I was looking at my mother the first time I saw Aunt Daisy (in a wheelchair). I only remember Aunt Daisy smiling. Always smiling.

The picture on the right is a picture of Aunt Daisy (in bed) with Hannah, Micki, and Esther. Esther also died young (she was in her mid-30s when she died of a heart attack). I remember the day she died, I was in high school -- junior year, it was in 1959 or 1960. Esther lived with Aunt Annie for a long time, and of course, she was at all the family events in my early life.

I still remember Micki most. I don't know why. I spent the least amount of time with her, when I was growing up. Maybe it was the knowledge that she was in "show business" and I kept track of her and whenever she was "in town" I went to see her and got to be with her for a few minutes.

Our recent visits were such a blessing. Renewing the relationship and talking about family and details I don't recall or didn't know about the family members.

More to follow......