May the wind always be at your back ...

Aunt Edith

I have a love/hate relationship with the next relative I want to share a bit about.

Edith Evans was the older sister of my maternal grandmother. She married her husband, James Sullivan, at age 16. Her daughters were Anna Mae & Lois.

When Edith’s mother, Mary died, my grandmother was 12 years old and lacked any other female figures. Her father and brothers did their best to raise her.

Growing up, I was told Edith was “cruel”, “nasty”, “unkind”, and “not just to your grandmother Marge but to her own children, poor Anna Mae “. It remains unknown to me if she was physically, mentally, emotionally, or all of the above abusive towards the girls. 

Edith died in 1962 following a stroke she suffered some time prior.

Lois Sullivan McBride

Lois was, technically, my grandmother's niece; however, they were about the same age. She and her sister Anna Mae grew up very close to "Marge" aka my grandmother! I've been told the girls were much like sisters.

I MUST have met Lois once and it was likely at Anna Mae's funeral. At the time, I was about 10 years old and don't recall significant details. Her son, cousin Jim, was kind enough to send me some photos her.

Lois was quite a beautiful woman and Jim said the three girls looked quite a bit alike:) She and her husband raised two boys together. Lois passed away in 2001. 

I see the resemblance to my grandmother here!

With her husband and boys.

Along Came Anna Mae

My grandmother was a "change of life" baby. Her older sister Edith gave birth to her first child in January 1922. My grandmother, Marge, followed in April 1922. Although the pair were technically aunt & niece, they were more like sisters.

Marge & Anna Mae

Anna Mae died in 1996 and I did attend her funeral; however, I don't recall ever meeting her personally. Growing up we did have a steady relationship with her son, "Uncle" Pat &  (his wife)"Aunt" Martha Finn.

It was at the funeral that I met many of my extended cousins, including Anna Mae's sister Lois. To this day, I can still recall the tenderness in which each of the elderly relatives recalled my deceased grandmother.

Then talk turned towards a spooky event.

Anna Mae Age 68

A few days before Anna Mae's passing she stopped talking. Towards the end Uncle Pat & Aunt Martha's dogs stood sentry. During the last hours of her life she began talking to the ceiling and the dogs watched, heads facing the ceiling. Synoptic flashes of a dying person?

It was then that she began calling my grandmother by name and saying things like " Marge? Is that you Marge? I've missed you! " according to the Finn family.

Marge & Anna Mae's Prayer Cards

They died 21 years and 1 day apart.

In the years since, I've spoken with various relatives about her & my grandmother. Anna Mae's granddaughter told me that she used to take out old photo albums and share stories of times with Margaret. My mother isn't sure what hijinks the two would get into but they were always giggling about something or other. I'd love to ask her about their "adventures" and if Lois ever took part!