Two “Nutty” Aunts

This is a short essay on two great, great aunts of Hoytie Bangs, done by great Aunt Bette Hohe.

Let’s write first of Connie Sundh Marshall, your great-grandmother Alice Sundh Persons’ sister.She is a charming and delightful lady of 92--at this time, 1991, in a nursing home in Florida, has a body of a sixty-year-old, and a mind of a small child.She’s beloved by her son Dick, many friends, and by me!Connie went legally blind many years ago, but it never got her down.She learned Braille and then taught it.She bowled, played golf, walked five miles every day, swam twenty laps in the condo pool and was a happy, talkative, lively, and I mean lively with a capital “L”!Loved to flirt, dance, and sing.Her talking voice was low and very cultured.She graduated from Smith College with honors in English lit and married Louis W. Marshall, a 1922 graduate of West Point.I could write forever on my dearest of dear aunts but shall go on to another “nutty” one.

Your great, great Aunt Betty, sister of your great-grandfather, Oren Ho Ho Persons.She burned him up through life and he was very mean towards her.One smart lady…never married, but doubt she died a virgin.Good for her, eh?She graduated from Wells College and spent her life traveling around the world many times.She had a great travel agency in St. Petersburg, Florida called Lansee.She always loved me (your great Aunt Bette) and she adored your grandfather, Junie.She always had money problems but generally snuck around them somehow.She borrowed money and got into trouble but always got out of it.As I said, one smart “cookie” eh?She was an attractive, smart, person.She looked very much like her father, Silas, and was about his height 5 ft 4 in.

Your great, great grandmother, Elizabeth over shadowed all—but that’s another “nutty” epilogue.

P.S.I think the reason I have written of Aunt Connie and Aunt Betty is we were all the same size and had similar personalities.My father used to say the worst fate that could be bestowed on him was to have a daughter that would be like his sister Elizabeth, or his wife’s sister Connie.Ha! Ha!