On Sunday, I found out that my Great Aunt Jean passed away.
I never knew my grandmother Claire (my mom's mom). She passed away in 1979 when my mom was 21 years old. Jean, her sister, lived in Palos Verdes and I'm now realizing how much of a support Jean was to my family and especially my mother while we lived there. Jean always impressed me with her constant smile and optimistic attitude. She never stopped learning or playing sports. And she always gave my mom a bag of chocolate covered mint patties for her birthday. The last time I saw her was on a June lunch date last summer with her and my mom...I'm so grateful for that.
She died suddenly last Friday as she was getting out of the car to go to a party. Her sweet husband was in the driver's seat when she said, "Gordon, I don't feel well." "Sit back down and rest a little," he said. And then she was gone.
Her funeral was one of the happier ones I've been to, which was just her style. One of my favorite stories told was about how at 59 years old, she beat her 23-year-old soon-to-be son-in-law in a game of tennis. After the funeral, I was speaking with another man who coyly admitted she had beaten him in tennis as well.
In the picture above, you can see the genuineness in her smile. That was her trademark, a trademark she kept even while beating boys on the tennis court. She was the perfect combination of sweetness and spunk.
Love you, Aunt Jean.
