SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
My Aunt Jessie was quite an interesting person. She was my Mother’s only sibling, and was what we used to call an “old maid.” She never married, and my granny lived with her. And because Jessie didn’t have children of her own, she rather doted upon my brother and myself. Most of the time that was a good thing….sometimes it got me into trouble with my parents.
She was an excellent bookkeeper. I have pictures from an album she put together that showed her with friends from “E.B.S.” which I took to be Enid (Oklahoma) Business School. She and my mother both were taught penmanship and had beautiful handwriting.
She and Granny moved to Albuquerque in 1952, into a wonderful house that I loved. I think I spent nearly as much time there as I did at my own house. It was only about 10 minutes away from our house.
She worked as the bookkeeper for an office supply company in downtown Albuquerque for many years. But, looking toward retirement, she thought she might open up a “collectibles” store, and began purchasing collectible plates and figurines. She had flowers, and especially Norman Rockwell scenes.
After she retired from bookkeeping, she just never really did get that store up and running. But she had – literally – hundreds of plates! They were still in their original boxes (a must for collectors!), and were in very good shape. But she really loved those plates, and rather pined over them. After Granny died, all she had left were her “things” to give her pleasure. So my Mother took many of the plates and hung them all around on Jessie’s dining room walls. There were flowers and Norman Rockwell all around.
After Jessie died, we were encouraged to take of hers what we wanted. I had enjoyed quite a few of the plates, myself, and have them today.
Jessie got quite a chuckle out of the one I liked that was of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow – you
remember – the one who supposedly started the great Chicago Fire?
But one that I especially enjoyed was a comfortable scene of an older couple, seated together on a couch, feet on footstools, with a cat laying before them. It reminded me so much of Fred’s parents, that I gave it to them. They hung it in their home for many years. As a matter of fact, our youngest daughter had asked, “why are Grandma and Grandpa on that plate?”
When they down-sized into an assisted-living facility, they gave the plate back to me. I have it now hanging on the wall, just above a picture of Fred’s parents. The resemblance is really remarkable.
When Fred’s sister and her husband came to visit once, I mentioned this story and showed them the two – plate and picture. Their comment was “oh my!” They couldn’t believe it either – it was as if Fred’s parents had modeled for Mr. Rockwell!
My brother took some of the plates, but most of them were sold at the estate sale we held following Jessie’s death. We just didn’t have room for all those plates. Just another piece of my history that I wish I had room to keep.
Old Things R New 
Aunt Jess sounds like an incredible blessing to her niece and nephew.
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Jessie sure did have a lot of lovely things. She and her sister Agnes, Bill and Judy’s mom, had good taste and more or less shared the rearing of a fine brother and sister.
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Judy, you stirred up memories of the days when Tupperware first becamns popular. My firstborn, Lynn, was just a small child who “loved” the multi-colored tall plastic glasses kept in a carrier on top of the refrigerator at Grandma’s house After my mother died (at age 95), she still kept the glasses in that spot. I offered them to Lynn, but she was satisfied just to see them again. I, too, decided it was time to put them to rest.
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Ha! I should have proof-read my rermarks made earlier. My mother couldn’t have done anything with those glasses AFTER she died. Next time I will drink my coffee before I write anything!
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You are a gem!!
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