Thinking back upon Aunt Carrie visiting us in Detroit, and visiting her in Indiana, I believe Dad had much affection for her. I don’t know whether Aunt Carrie was his Dad’s or his Mom’s sister. In the old letters that survived, I got the impression that Dad lived with Aunt Carrie for a time, so they surely built a strong bond. Take a look at the Dad, the Early Days page for more.

I remember visiting Aunt Carrie when she lived in a trailer. I think it was in Atlanta, Indiana. I remember a couple of stories from when she visited us in Ferndale. Mom fried some bacon and was going to throw away the bacon grease. This horrified Aunt Carrie. Bacon grease was used for cooking instead of store bought oil. A few months after Aunt Carrie left, Mom noticed a smell in the kitchen. She searched the cupboards and found a juice glass full of bacon grease the Aunt Carrie had stashed.

Dad came home from work one day while Aunt Carrie was visiting and they sat at the kitchen table talking. As was Dad’s custom, he had a shot of whiskey after work, but didn’t think to offer any to his old aunt. Dad went to answer the phone, and when he came back Aunt Carrie didn’t hear him (she was hard of hearing), and he saw her take a nip from the whiskey bottle.