Aunt Mary, as I knew and admired her, was a person who truly made those who knew her better. She was always pleasant with a great sense of humor but possessed an inner strength and toughness which was well ahead of her time.

During one of the worst times of my life, two strong aunts, Mary and Christine were there for me. My father was in the hospital during his final days with cancer and my appendix was about to burst. In the emergency room, my pediatrician, in a feeble attempt to amuse a horrified eleven year old, told his tired story about Mary, the worst nurse he ever saw, fainting at the sight of blood. My aunt laughed and reminded the good doctor that he wouldn’t recognize good medical practice if it bit him on the posterior. I realized at an early age that I needed to marry a smart, strong, beautiful woman like that, and I did!

The last time I saw Mary, we ate dinner at the family reunion in Winston-Salem. I told her how she and Vera (another great aunt) helped inspire a female character in my book. Then, one of the small children asked her why she didn’t have gray hair like the other seniors. She promptly stated, "Because I don’t want gray hair, that’s why! And who are you calling old?"

Thank you, Aunt Mary. You meant so much to all of us. You will be missed.

Love to all who read this.

Richard Kelley