Wistful Wednesday: Aunt Lila

My Aunt Lila died last week, she was 86 years old, her funeral is later this week.   She was married to my Dad’s brother Adolf.  Adolf died in 1998.  Lila joins him 20 years later.

Adolf and Lila were married in June of 1953.  I think my Dad was the best man.

They lived in a tiny two room house near Bad Medicine Lake. My baby brother and I stayed with them one long weekend in the late 1950’s…it might have been 1958 or 1959….our parents were going to “The Cities” for something and we were not old enough to stay by ourselves.  Uncle Adolf tried to teach us some Finn…but we were poor learners.  They took us fishing in a boat out on Bad Medicine Lake, I believe this was the first time I was ever in a boat on a lake. I thought being in a boat on the lake was both magical and a little bit scary. I had been on lakes in the winter and was comfortable fishing on a frozen lake, or in the summer fishing safely from a dock near the shore..but a boat..that was a big deal.  I loved watching the water over the side of the boat.  I don’t remember if we caught fish or not..but I do remember that we had fun, and a ice cold soda and a candy bar. 

One summer my Uncle found a fawn without a mother or the game warden dropped it off for some rehabilitation, a small fence was made near the front of the house and the fawn was fed bottles of milk.  My Uncle was a farmer…he milked cows and put up crops…hay and maybe corn for his herd.  

Their property was heavily wooded interspersed with fields and that made for perfect deer hunting.  I hunted there a number of years…I had the fire and kept it going at my campsite…all my uncles and cousins would come by to warm up and put their sandwiches near the fire and sit down and talk.

In later years Adolf and Lila would adopt two children; a boy and a girl.  I remember the baby showers held in their new home… I think they adopted through Lutheran Social Services and in preparation for adoption they built a new home.

Aunt Lila had Rheumatoid Arthritis.  What a terrible crippling disease.  It crippled her body but her mind has been sharp up until the last couple of years.  She was one of my most faithful blog readers. My Uncle Adolf died from undiagnosed Celiac Sprue when he was 76 years old.

Aunt Lila has been in the nursing home a very long time…when you visited she was always happy to see you.  She got more company as other relatives were in “the home”…Aunt Violet (her sister), Aunt Marie, Aunt Senia, Aunt Grace…For years and years Aunt Lila’s roommate was Cousin Shirley.  Sadly all those relatives have died while in “the home.” As far as I know we have no one in “the home” any longer…Aunt Lila was the last of the bunch.  I think she was the first one in and the last one out.