She was 7 when he was born. From the stories I’ve heard, Husband was his aunt Shirley’s live doll and she carried him until he got too heavy for her – maybe that’s when she started calling him Big Boy. My first memory of Shirley was when Husband and I were dating and I visited his family’s holiday gathering. Shirley held her arms wide, wrapped them around Husband and said, “My Big Boy.”
At that time, I didn’t understand their relationship. As children and through her teen-age years, they had lived next door to each other and their parents worked together in the family-owned Ray’s Bi-Rite grocery, next to her home. Shirley was like a big sister who adored her nephew and she spoiled him.
Because Ray’s Bi-Rite didn’t stock Fritos and Husband like them, Shirley, a high school student, bought them for him at another store. When she was a TPI student, she gave him a purple sweat shirt embossed with Golden Eagle, now known as Awesome Eagle. Husband wore that shirt to school at least twice a week.
She celebrated his every birthday, every milestone, and was sad when she couldn’t attend Husband’s and my wedding, but she had good reason: her son was born just hours after we said I do.
During the early years of our marriage, we saw Shirley, her husband Owen, and their two children at holiday gatherings at Husband’s grandparents’ home here in Cookeville.
But I got to know Shirley and Owen well when Husband, our two young school-age children, and I visited them in Athens, Georgia. They welcomed us with smiles and hugs and gave us a tour of their work place, the University of Georgia. Owen was a professor and she worked in an administrator’s office.
The campus was beautiful, but the football game between the hedges was the highlight of the visit. Owen and Shirley recognized that Son was taken with their Dawgs so both he and Daughter left Athens wearing Georgia sweatshirts.
Son’s bedroom was redecorated: Georgia wallpaper border, a Georgia comforter and curtains. Through the years, Shirley and Owen gave t-shirts, caps, and banners, and all our family, especially Son, are still avid UGA football fans.
Husband often talks with Shirley, but they hadn’t been together for a few years so he and I recently visited Owen and her – not in Athens – in Ohio where they moved five years ago to a senior living facility near their daughter and her family.
Shirley opened the door of their independent living apartment. She wrapped her arms around Husband, lay her head on his chest, and said, “My Big Boy.” Owen, wearing a Georgia t-shirt and a red Bulldog cap, held his arms toward me, then hugged tightly, and said, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Our two-day visit was perfect. Time to talk, share photos, catch-up on family news, and reminisce. As Husband and I drove out of the senior living parking lot, Shirley stood on her second story apartment balcony, waved and blew kisses.
Everybody should have an Aunt Shirley.
Filed under: Family | Tagged: Shirley, Shirley and Owen | 1 Comment »
Susan Writes 