My Great Aunt Ruth passed away this weekend. She was 85. I think everyone in the family thought she'd be the last to die because let's face it, mean people never die. I know everyone has that one family member who always says exactly what they think and isn't afraid to let the cat out of the bag on a family secret or two, and that's who Ruth was to our family. She once told my cousin that she would be really pretty if she wasn't so fat. She also informed a family member that he was an illigetimate child. Like I said, we always thought she'd outlive us all because mean people never die.
That being said, I do have reason to be thankful for having Great Aunt Ruth in our lives. She was the family genealogist and was the first to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was because of her that Ganny later joined and then enrolled my brothers and myself in the C.A.R. Ruth has always said that with her death, I would get all of her genealogy because she has no biological children, only adopted. It's going to be nice to be able to go through everything. Even though I am a member of a genealogical organization, I know only minimal details because getting information from Ruth was always INCREDIBLY difficult. She liked to hang on to all of her research and she wouldn't always let you see the information you wanted to, just what she wanted you to see.
I do have to say that I have enjoyed hearing various stories about Ruth since her passing, but it has been more about remembering Ganny and my Great Aunt Margaret. Ganny has been gone for 5 years and Margaret 10 years, and it's always heartwarming to think about those wonderful women. And with the loss of Ruth I remember how quickly the "greatest generation" is slipping away from us. For my family, all that remains is Great Aunt Kathryn, Uncle Ralph, and Uncle Reginald and I will cherish whatever time I have left with them. Okay, maybe not so much when it comes to Reginald...
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