Aunt Dorothy - RIP

[susandennis]

I was about 12 and my sister was 11 and my brother was 8 and we were home alone and the phone rang. My sister answered it because, well, she came out of the womb talking on the phone to friends and has never stopped so when the phone rang at our house, it was for her.

She got off the phone fairly quickly and came into the TV room all in a twitter.

"That was a woman who said she was our Aunt Dorothy. We don't have an Aunt Dorothy, do we?"

We did a quick breakdown of both sides of the family... We lived in North Carolina and all of the relatives in the US lived in Oklahoma or Texas and the rest in Germany. Our relatives were not the type to 'drop in' or even call without weeks and months of planning.

Daddy, one sister - Aunt Kay whom we knew loved and adored. Mom, one brother - killed in WWII long before we were born. Daddy's father, no relatives living in the United States. Daddy's mother, no relatives who would speak to her much less look us up. Mom's father, no relatives who knew how to use the phone or call long distance. (I know, a sad state of relations...)

But, that brought us to Mom's mother. Grandma had a pack of siblings. We knew this. BUT, the key was that they all had funny names. Persus, Mozelle, Erin (ok that one was only funny to us), Granville, Fritz - Grandma is Miriam. Not only was there no Dorothy but it was clear that Grandma's parents did not understand even the concept of a common name like Dorothy.

My sister, the drama queen, figured out immediately that this was a fortune hunter - someone after our money and no relation at all. I pointed out that we were not rich - at least not rich enough to get scammed by a fortune hunter.

My brother said that we should shut up because since we were never allowed to watch TV on a school night when Mom and Dad were home, we were interrupting his illegal activity.

The minute Mom and Dad got home (I think they were at some PTA thing), we landed on them...

Turns out that, indeed, I guess Great-Grandma Jones (my grandma's mom) ran out of interesting names and when her last baby was born, she named her Dorothy.

We had never heard about Dorothy because she was a REBEL! She had married a blind guy and square danced for a living! They traveled from town to town doing square dance exhibitions. The family was embarrassed by her shenanigans and she dropped off the family radar.

She ended up coming over the next evening with her husband and she was actually a bit of a nutter. I was fascinated. She was 8 years older than Mom and it was hard for me to get my brain around someone who was Grandma's sister, who looked to be Mom's age, who married someone who could not tell her if her slip was showing and who square danced for a living.

I don't think I ever saw here again. Over the years, the rest of the funkily-named tribe died out and Dorothy has been the sole survivor now for about the past 30 years. She died on Tuesday after a really long illness.

Comments

[miss-hand.livejournal.com]

Truth really is stranger than fiction. A square dancer!? No wonder the family ostracized her.

[susandennis]

Oh yeah... I spent years trying to figure out what was so bad about square dancing. But, happily, by the time I figured it out, I didn't give a shit!

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it with us, Susan.

[susandennis]

You are so welcome - it's kind of my 'Rural Rob photo' but with words instead of pixels.

[melodysk.livejournal.com]

Awww RIP Dorothy

[susandennis]

thanks.... Snow girl.

[jwg.livejournal.com]

The best part of this story is the idea of making a living doing square dancing demonstrations.

I know a few people that make partial livings doing contradance calling and/or playing in bands, but just doing demos... cool idea.

[susandennis]

I know... I still don't know how in the world they actually managed to make ends meet. I tried to find out but no one and I mean NO ONE would even come close to discussing it.

[cloverbee.livejournal.com]

RIP Dorothy.

I had a great aunt Ruby that ran away from home at 14 and worked at the dime-a-dance halls to make money. Your story made me think of Ruby and how she was so similar. She wore those little mod mini dresses in the 60s with black cat-eye glasses complete with a big silver chain with beads on it. Chain-smoked and made her husband take her dancing every Friday night at the VFW. She died of lung cancer in the late 80s.

They were ahead of their time.

[susandennis]

Ruby! What a great name. And the picutre you paint of her is wonderful. Ruby.

[susandennis]

ha! If we had had a parrot it would have said - in my sister's voice - over and over again...

"really?!! No!!! Really? No!!!! Really? Well, does she like him?????"

That's all we heard for years.

You really should have given your friends your new number. That parrot was probably tired!!!

[rsc.livejournal.com]

"really?!! No!!! Really? No!!!! Really? Well, does she like him?????"

Now my head is filled with Prunella Scales as Sibyl Fawlty: "I know! Oh, I knooow</>! I know!"

[pinkrose70.livejournal.com]

Very entertaining story. Truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction!

I worry sometimes, since I am the only sibling who lives across the country from my nieces and nephews who I barely know are starting to get married now...wonder if I'll be the distant, whacky Aunt Anne?

(I don't think I've given any cause on the few visits I've had with them, but who knows?) ;)

[pinkrose70.livejournal.com]

correction: I am the sibling of 5 and all the rest have sons and daughters..my nieces and nephews.

[susandennis]

I think about what my nieces and nephews will think of me. I've had very little contact with them at all. I'm guessing they probably won't think of me at all which is fine.

[jawnbc]

Well may she rest in peace. Thanks for this SD--lovely.

[susandennis]

You are so welcome. And I'll bet Aunt Dororthy would be tickled.

[katbyte.livejournal.com]

I actually have friends who used to square dance. It is big in the south. They have different levels and they also have callers who are paid. I am sure the instructors for the different levels are also callers, so that is how they make their money. A good caller is in demand quite a bit.

I have no idea why I know this much about square dancing, just cause of my friend, I guess.

Losing a relative you weren't that close to brings back memories without all the sadness. Everyone should be remembered that way. No crying, just good/fun/odd memories.

[treebreeze.livejournal.com]

I like the way Gram and Gramps thought! What great names.....

I think I may borrow one and call my new cricket Miriam.

thanks.........