Shirley (nee Silverstein) Levine, 1921-2006
I got a call tonight from my cousin Ellen. My Aunt Shirley, my father's sister and in many ways my second mother, died tonight. She had been ill for quite some time, several years, actually, with Parkinson's. She was the last of that generation on my father's side to pass away. It was a blessing; she'd been ill, but still aware enough to be distressed by her condition and looking forward to leaving it behind. She was 85.
I won't be flying out for the funeral, first because the airline tickets are outrageously expensive, second because Ellen told me not to, that my aunt would be appalled at my spending the money to come. She said that both she and my aunt knew how I felt, that my presence couldn't say more than my love and my actions over the last few years did.
My Aunt Shirley was a lovely woman, smart, good natured, very loving. She was tiny, shorter than me by at least an inch, always trim and pretty. She was very accepting of my brother and I for who we were and encouraged us to pursue the things that we loved and were talented at doing.
She and my uncle had a darling little house in Valley Stream on Long Island. I remember spending afternoons there on the sun porch off the dining room, sitting on the wicker couch and chatting with her, or perusing the books that lined one wall. She'd serve us neat sandwiches for lunch at the kitchen table. There was always a plate of sliced pickles for my brother, sometimes potato salad and, at the end, a plate of "special" cookiesMilano cookies. She told me family stories that became part of my genealogical notes; she was the last one available who could tell them to me firsthand. She was a fine gardener; she planted tomatoes every year that grew huge, and she always had lots of flowers. I remember in particular her tree stump garden; very pretty. She kept a notebook by a window in the kitchen, where she'd note down the birds she and my uncle would spy taking rest stops at the bird feeders. Toward the end, she gave me a couple of pieces of Wedgewood as keepsakes, which reside in my bedroom.
I still remember her voice in a way that I don't remember my parents' voices. I don't know why.
ironymaiden and her C graciously let me come by tonight after I got the call from my cousin. We had a good visit. We had tea and Milano cookies.
In memory
With love and respect and honor
Shirley (nee Silverstein) Levine
1921-2006
I won't be flying out for the funeral, first because the airline tickets are outrageously expensive, second because Ellen told me not to, that my aunt would be appalled at my spending the money to come. She said that both she and my aunt knew how I felt, that my presence couldn't say more than my love and my actions over the last few years did.
My Aunt Shirley was a lovely woman, smart, good natured, very loving. She was tiny, shorter than me by at least an inch, always trim and pretty. She was very accepting of my brother and I for who we were and encouraged us to pursue the things that we loved and were talented at doing.
She and my uncle had a darling little house in Valley Stream on Long Island. I remember spending afternoons there on the sun porch off the dining room, sitting on the wicker couch and chatting with her, or perusing the books that lined one wall. She'd serve us neat sandwiches for lunch at the kitchen table. There was always a plate of sliced pickles for my brother, sometimes potato salad and, at the end, a plate of "special" cookiesMilano cookies. She told me family stories that became part of my genealogical notes; she was the last one available who could tell them to me firsthand. She was a fine gardener; she planted tomatoes every year that grew huge, and she always had lots of flowers. I remember in particular her tree stump garden; very pretty. She kept a notebook by a window in the kitchen, where she'd note down the birds she and my uncle would spy taking rest stops at the bird feeders. Toward the end, she gave me a couple of pieces of Wedgewood as keepsakes, which reside in my bedroom.
I still remember her voice in a way that I don't remember my parents' voices. I don't know why.
ironymaiden and her C graciously let me come by tonight after I got the call from my cousin. We had a good visit. We had tea and Milano cookies.
In memory
With love and respect and honor
Shirley (nee Silverstein) Levine
1921-2006