~ My Aunt Leta ~

January 2000

I woke up in the middle of the night and it was all I could do to NOT get up and start this blog. Now where do I begin?

What a wonderful lady. Being around her has always brought me peace. Aunt Leta and my Mom were identical twins. I lost my Mom 11 years ago. I know it sounds odd, but when I've been around Aunt Leta these last few years I've felt like maybe Mom wasn't that far away.

It's been a very hard last few years for her. The last time I saw her I looked into her eyes and wasn't really sure if she knew it was me..... but in my heart I think she did. She was finally able to make her journey this weekend. She passed away on Saturday morning.

Aunt Leta was my first employer. I learned so much! Being a kid in the 60's and 70's was fun but what can you do for money? I vacuumed! I got to go to Aunt Leta's and vacuum her house. I learned that to do a good job you have to vacuum behind things and even under them. I don't even remember how much I got paid.... but it was enough to go to OKay's market for a soda and a candy bar. She only lived 2 1/2 blocks away and it was easy to get there on my bicycle.

When I came home from school, if Mom wasn't home I always called Aunt Leta's. If Mom wasn't there Aunt Leta usually knew where she was :)

I remember getting in trouble once for being especially naughty. I remember crying in my room. It wasn't just, "Don't tell Daddy", it was "Don't tell Aunt Leta"!

My cousin Sandy did ironing for my Mom. I remember watching her iron and it gave me the opportunity to offer that as another one of my money making ventures. I earned 5 cents a shirt.

Aunt Leta took me school clothes shopping once. It was after the summer when my Mom had been really ill. I remember coming home with some fun clothes. There was one very cute corduroy skirt that raised Mom's eyebrows just a little. It came "above" my knees. Thinking back on that period of time makes me feel so grateful that she would take the time for me! She had a wonderful family of her own that she was busy with and she worked outside of her home but she was always there to help whenever she was needed.

I took a typing class in Junior High. Aunt Leta then hired me to type labels. She had her own typing business and she trusted me to go through the Idaho Falls phone book and type labels for all of the businesses as one of her projects. I was so flattered that she would let me do this. I found out later that some of the labels I typed weren't able to be used because the typewriter had uneven type. It was an old manual Royal typewriter! Yes, I'm that old. She paid me for my work anyway. I tried to give the money back and she wouldn't take it.

Of course it was fun because Grandma and Grandpa Warren lived right across the street along with the Warren cousins down the next block. By then the Gowers had moved a whole mile away..... but we still got together and frequented Aunt Leta and Uncle Harris's backyard. They had the most amazing apple trees.

We had MANY family picnics in their back yard. I remember climbing her back stairs and walking into a kitchen that always smelled wonderful. There was always something going on at the Bowmans. Last time I was with Sandy we talked in depth about how to make that potato salad!! Ahhh..... what a memory. They always had something good cooking and walking in her kitchen before ANY family get together was a treat.

If her kitchen didn't smell like food, it smelled like home permanents or hair color. The twins DID trade off on these. If it wasn't her house they stunk up it was Mom and Dad's. I laugh when I think about how many concoctions of hair colors they would come up with. Originally my Mom wanted to be blonde so that people could tell them apart. That didn't work!! It wasn't long before Aunt Leta went blonde too and now I know why. It's so much easier to cover gray, but my Mom always had a different hue. Sometimes she was strawberry and Leta was regular blonde but on a bad hair day there was purple!! Ouch!!!

I have such fun memories! Our family didn't camp, but we had a few camping trips with the Bowmans. There was a water skiing adventure with Bruce.... There were stock car races.... And even that pet monkey Cecil!! Whew..... All fun....

She passed her torch of love and service to her sons and daughter. There is nothing that they will not do to help friends or family. The energy and love that Aunt Leta had in caring for her own Mom, Grandma Warren, was mirrored to her daughter Sandy, who cared for her in their home... and then continued devotion going every day to be with her at the rest home.

Thank you for the wonderful memories and the warm love you gave. Thank you for letting us be part of your family..... With Love Forever, Trudy