Aunt Gene Tribute

It’s fitting that my family asked me to write something about Aunt Gene because I’ve been talking about her as long as I can remember. In fact, according to an autobiography I wrote in elementary school, the third and fourth words I ever spoke, after “mama” and “dada,” were “Aunt Gene.”

Like Uncle Hank, Aunt Gene was a fantastic storyteller. At family gatherings, from an early age, I recall fiddling with toys or pretending to be asleep in order to eavesdrop on some of the more grown-up conversations they led. How I kept from laughing and blowing my cover, I’ll never know.

Aunt Gene had a way with words, so that she was somehow always captivating, whether recounting an adventure from her travels, describing a meal at a restaurant, or simply explaining a recipe.

Even now, the effect she has had on my own storytelling is evident. My friends on the West Coast have heard me use certain “Aunt Gene expressions” so often that they have become part of our shared language.

Here are just a few examples. I’m sure you can think of more:

“Maybe that ain’t delicious.”

“I’m not goin’ all the way to Fifth and Japip for no cole slaw (or some other product).”

“I looked like a drowned rat.”

Undoubtedly, Aunt Gene was an important figure in all of our lives, with a lasting influence and a larger-than-life personality. As such, we will talk about her long after she has left us, in the stories we tell about her and the ways we tell stories about ourselves.