by Suzanne Marsh

Created on: July 11, 2011   Last Updated: July 12, 2011

     Each person has a destiny to fulfull and love to give my Aunt Joan is one of those people.  She is a very lovely and gracious person.  There are so many wonderful qualities that she emulates from being very candid about some of my exploits over the years to being my sounding board when I really need one.  Over the years my cousin Helen and I have provided Aunt Joan with more than her fair share of gray hair.  For instance there was the time we were informed that the old Cider Mill was off limits, well never one to be deterred I conned Helen into going there.  Helen's sister Alleen informed Aunt Joan where we went, the most remarkable thing was she never even raised her voice despite the fact that we had disobeyed her.  I have never forgotten that particular episode nor have I forgotten the love that abounded in their home.

    Aunt Joan has had her share of burdens over the years especially when her daughter Margaret developed ALS and her husband my Uncle Clif began to develop Parkinson's Disease at almost the same time.  I believe it was her quiet strength that helped her through both ordeals.  Margaret was forty two when she passed away Aunt Joan bore that with love and understanding.  Uncle Clif her husband of over sixty years passed away and once again she bore that with dignity and grace.  I watched her stand quietly by his casket with her daughter Alleen greeting family and friends her eyes bright with tears.  She was so pleased that I was there and she made all of us feel welcomed after the funeral.  She never broke down and cried and received the flag from Uncle Clif's coffin with a quiet graciousness.

    I try to make a trip every year to Utica New York where she has lived for the past fifty five years this last time I called her and asked if my husband Earl and I could spend a few days at her home since our semi tractor needed to go into the Peterbuilt shop in Utica, it was the closest spot.  Like most things in life there are complications this time it was a cat named Henny and our medium sized lope eared boxer mix Rosie.  She came to meet us at the Peterbuilt dealership and drove us back to her home.  It takes a great to frighten me after all my husband is an over the road truck driver and I see people do an assortment of crazy things on the road but by the time we stopped at the second traffic light Aunt Joan noticed

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