One Great Aunt

I spent the last several days travelling to and from New Jersey to be with family and celebrate the life of my great-aunt, Evelyn, who passed away this past Saturday. She was a woman who was good at eating, drinking, and being merry, so we did all these things in her honor.

Some fun facts about my Aunt Evy:
She loved Atlantic City and would talk gambling with my brother.
She chose her restaurants and pubs based on whether they gave twofers -- a chip good for a free drink when you bought one.
She spent her whole life near the shore, and I never saw her without a tan.
She was 91, but lied to her boyfriend by telling him she was only in her eighties.
She was the most efficient phone-call ender I ever met. No conversation was left to linger.

Fun Story #1:
She no longer drove, so Clarence, who lived next door to Evy with his wife, would give her rides when she needed them. His hearing wasn't great, so one day when she knocked on his door, he couldn't hear her over the TV. So she let herself in. He had been sitting in his underwear, and he quickly tried to cover himself with a newspaper. She waved her hands dismissively, saying he didn't have anything she hadn't seen before. After which she walked over to him and gave him her latest request: "I want a third husband... who can drive at night."

Fun Story #2:
A couple years ago, my cousin got married. There was some difficult and painful family history, which the priest decided to detail in his homily. It was awkward, long, and from what I'm told, boring. At long last, Evy leans to the person next to her and asks, none-too-quietly, "Is he still talking?" To the disappointment of all in attendance, this was not enough to stop him.

Fun Story #3:
One Christmas, my brother flew low over the tiny airport near my parents' home. This was planned, and my dad and I headed out with the camcorder to videotape the event. It was cold, so I had on this big L.L.Bean barn coat, and my dad caught some footage of me in it. Evy sees the video and says, "You look so fat!"

I made my first purchase of keep-at-home alcohol a couple weeks ago, and tonight I broke it open and made myself a drink, which I now raise to Evy: Here's to the great-aunt who loved Manahattans and her family; who always owned multiple swimsuits; who was barely five feet tall, but could fill a room with her personality; who was first to belly up to the bar at her 90th birthday party; who never stopped sending me birthday money, because she knew I could really use it.

Here's to you, Aunt Evy.