My great aunt Claris died yesterday. She was 92 and had long forgot who I was. She had alzheimer’s disease. Her memory was lost in reverse order and she had forgotten like the last 30+ years in the end. Thus making most of the people she remembered either passed themselves or so old she couldn’t recognize them anymore.
I only knew her as an old woman as she was retired when I was born. She had the whitest hair I had ever seen, it wasn’t grey. It was pure snowy white.
She liked to play cards. I think that is what I did with her most, even after I finished high school. I sometimes would play cards with her. I don’t really think she was ever very good as you could beat her everytime, sometimes I had to make an effort to loose.
After she went into the nursing home (7 years ago). I would sometimes go to the home and play cards. She could always play the piano when I was little she had an organ that she played at her house. She said she played for church when she was young. She always remembered how to play and probably played once a day at the nursing home for several years. She seems to have stopped or played less often though for the last few years. I think she still remembered how to play though all the way to the end. It is amazing that you can forget so much yet remember so much.
I never really called her great aunt. She was always just aunt Claris and uncle Harry. Harry passed on about 8 years ago. They never had any children of there own. I think they tried while they were younger, but they got married when Claris was in her 40’s. It just never happened. Claris was a nurse that took care of Harry’s mother while she was very ill. That is how they met.
I myself can not see Claris being a nurse, she never seemed the caring type. I mean she cared, she just did it her own way. I think both my aunt and uncle loved me and my brothers as much as any two people could.
She died in her sleep yesterday morning after eating breakfast. I think that was what was meant to happen. She slept away most of everyday here in the end years.