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| Mom and Aunt Betty when they were young girls. |
One of my earliest memories of Betty was when I stayed over at her house on Clover Street which was next door to Nanny and Grampy's house. Judy, her daughter, was my best cousin and we spent the day looking over Judy's big sister's Mary Ellen and Sharon's things, baking with the Easy Bake Oven, completing dusting and bed making chores and playing outside in their woodsy backyard too. At dinner time, I sat around the table with the eight of the nine children who were born by then in their relatively small kitchen. Bob came home with hamburgers and fries which were a real treat. He divided up the fries and we all enjoyed a tasty dinner. Later we played some more and then went to bed. I liked being part of that big family that day.
My other childhood memories of Betty's included lots of visits, playing in her pool, and cookouts and parties with the whole family. One Christmas she made my sister Christine and me wonderful bright pink striped dresses--she made her girls the same dresses and we all looked alike at Uncle Neal and Aunt Miriam's Christmas Eve party. That was so special. Visits, parties and sleepovers at Betty's introduced me to many new experiences in life. When they lived in Berlin, they owned lots of land and a big barn. We had fun exploring the brook on the land, climbing trees, sleeping out in the woods, playing in the pool, walking to Harriman's for ice cream and onion rings, baking fudge and cookies, jumping into the hay and staying up all night playing Yahtzee and Monopoly.
In Clinton, there were hikes to the dam, more pool fun, exploring the city streets of Clinton, bowling with Walter and his cousins and the bike hikes from Worcester to Clinton. By the time they moved to New Hampshire, I was quite busy with my own life, but the visits there found us skating, exploring the woods and celebrating the Bourassa's many family events including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and more.
My mom talked to Betty almost every day when I was young. I listened to a lot of their conversations as they made sense out of life, planned family events, coordinated their parents, aunts and cousins' care, and supported each other through ups and downs. Later when the kids got older, Mom and Dad, Betty and Bob, Margie and Bob, Mary and Ed and many other friends went on lots of outings together. They played a lot of bridge too. Our whole family was invited to Betty and Bob's wonderful 50th wedding anniversary in Groton, Massachusetts--it was a great celebration.
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| A recent visit between Mom and Betty |
As the years moved on, it was difficult to keep up with Betty's then enormous family, but for the most part my mom stayed in touch and told us the stories of Betty's grandchildren's marriages, graduations, jobs, homes and children. Sadly Bob passed away a few years ago after a tough illness--it was hard to believe Bob, who was such a handsome, strong man would ever leave us. Betty lived on her own for a while and then moved into a very nice assisted living facility close to her children. Mom and Dad visited when they could, and right up to a few weeks ago Betty visited Mom too. When she visited, she was so loving and kind.
As I do when someone dies, I will try to bring forward traits that I admired in Betty. She loved her family greatly and developed strong relationships with her children. She created a beautiful home and was a good and generous friend to my mom and dad. She shared her wonderful artistry and creativity through sewing, gift giving, gardening, home decorating and baking, and she was there for all of us on our special occasions. For my wedding shower, she gave me the cooking pots and pans I still use today--a gift that keeps on giving.
In the days ahead, I'll pull together some pictures of Betty through the years to add to this post. I look forward to the celebration of her life--a celebration that will give me a chance to pay my respects to her large, loving family and think about her good, long life. My mom who suffers from dementia was clearly sad to hear the news today though it was difficult to know how much she understood. My dad was equally sad, but recognized that Betty's quality of life had diminished lately and her time had come.
Blessings to Betty's loved ones near and far, may her spirit move with us and make us better people for those we love. Onward.
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| Betty holding her son, Bobby, surrounded by her loving family. |
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| Jackie, Mom, Betty, Bobby and Cousin Billy |