My Aunt Frances was born in the Russian Empire in 1904. That same year, she was carried by her mother, my grandmother, all the way to the United States, arriving at Ellis Island where they were met by my grandfather who came a year earlier.
They settled in Oswego, New York where they had family. My mother was born three years later in 1907.
Aunt Frances graduated from Oswego High School. One of her classmates was Matt Barkley who became my gym teacher at Kingsford Park School.
Aunt Frances graduated from the Oswego Normal School (now the State University of New York at Oswego).
After graduation, she received two job offers as a teacher: in Amsterdam, New York and on Long Island. As the former was closer to her family in Oswego, she chose it. I once asked her if she thought about how her life would have been different had she chosen the latter. She hadn't.
Aunt Frances stayed on in Amsterdam for most of her life, retiring from her teaching position. Some of her friends there were the older sisters of the actor, Kirk Douglas (born Izzy Demsky), whom she never met.
Occasionally, during my youth, my parents would drop me off with Aunt Frances in Amsterdam on their way to spend a weekend in New York City. I was very happy when this happened.
My aunt was much more easy going than my mother. Besides, I got to play with her beautiful miniature collie, Ginger. Also, she introduced to me root beer floats, which I unfortunately don't get to experience at all in Brazil.
Some time after my grandmother died in 1976, Aunt Frances moved to south Florida. In 1993, an expansion baseball team was created there called the Florida Marlins. She became a fan, often listening to their games on the radio.
Aunt Frances eventually moved into a senior citizen assisted living facility in Florida where I visited her once. On our last contact, I called to wish her a happy birthday. I was impressed by the fact she recognized my voice before I could identify myself.
Aunt Frances died in 2004 at age 100.
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