Article #279 Aunts, Uncles and Favorite Relatives

l-r Vernon kids: Weston, Bonnie & Stan

            When I was 5 years old, my father Stanley was killed in an airplane accident. My grandpa provided a loving example to me as a growing child. Later, a stepfather would join our family when I was 18. Uncles filled the gap in between for my father figure. My favorite uncle was my father’s younger brother Weston who was serving in WWII. When Wes returned from overseas. I clung to him and followed his every footstep starved for attention from a missing father. Through the years as I grew up, I always looked to this uncle to remind me of the father I was missing.

            Aunts always seemed to me like extra mothers whether on my maternal or paternal side. They helped me celebrate my successes, listened to my disappointments and always provided an example of living a good life despite obstacles. My father’s only sister Bonnie started me on the great adventure of gathering my genealogy. Always there to strengthen me with inspirational stories to shore my growing faith, she was like a second mother to me.

Another aunt, my last one still living, is Ethel. At age 94, she’s still going strong and lives at home where she enjoys puttering around in her house, caring for her yard and flowers. She’s endured well the struggles of life and talking with her we always find something to laugh about. This aunt is a link to my grandma. Always making delicious homemade bread, I loved to eat at her kitchen table. Hospitality with a capital H was extended to any visitors.

(r-l) Esther and Grandma J

My aunt Esther was the oldest sister in her family. She wielded quite an influence on everyone. She was the first one to leave the nest in the now deserted ghost town of Silver City near Eureka, Utah. Moving to the big city of Salt Lake to work in the laundry, she set the example of courage to make it on her own and generosity in always sharing some of her merger wages with her mom, a widow with 4 kids at home to support. Esther led the way in many regards for trying new things. After her marriage to Lester, they moved to California for better jobs in the new aircraft industry. California was booming. In time, other family members would follow their example and enjoy the opportunities that a booming California and post WWII economy were developing.

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