Growing up, she was my biggest fan next to my mother. She would come to my piano recitals. A picture she took of me at the piano during one of them stayed on my piano for years. Blown up into an 8 x10. She also played the piano but not as much later in life. She was a nurse. When she was a young nurse, they were only giving polio shots to kids, not the adults. When Covid -19 happened, she was convinced that they needed to vaccinate the seniors with the polio vaccine. Surely, that was the cause behind so many seniors dying of Covid. She was part of the inspiration behind my first short film, The Virus. She even supported me, as much as she could, as an adult. She bought both of my books. Even though she was salty of how I characterized her in the first book. She didn’t like that I talked about an Aunt who was a nurse that liked to gamble. It wasn’t that it wasn’t true. She didn’t like that I shared it.
She was displaced from her first home in Pasadena because of the freeway. She was able to get her house in Altadena from the buyout. At that house were avocado trees and grapefruit as well (?) She made the best persimmon cookies. I have never had any like them since. I loved talking about discoveries I made in ancestry.com. She was the family historian. She had two sons. One living. Because of her one son that passed, I was able to get my DNA ancestry results. He left behind one of those kits. She said I could have it. I was convinced it had to be expired. But, no, it was still good!
She was originally from Detroit. In her later years, she lived in Hemet and her last residence was in Riverside. She was 90 years old. She just had a birthday in November. She seemed like such a young 80-something lady that it shocks me to see the number 90 now.
I’m thankful that a filmmaker friend was able to interview her recently.
With whom will I share my ancestry discoveries?
I will miss hearing her stories.
I love you Aunt V. Thank you for being my favorite Aunt.
2022
#death #favoriteaunt #gambling #casino #nurse #grateful #ancestry #polio #Covid19
Lorinda Hawkins Smith 