Aunt Edith's 90th Birthday Party

My Great Aunt Edith turned 90 last week! What a milestone! Kate and I were so glad we could celebrate with her at her reception in Tennessee on Sunday. We drove up Sunday morning and went straight to the church (First United Methodist in Johnson City), where Aunt Edith has been a very involved member for decades.



Aunt Edith is one of my grandmother's sisters. She is the last living member of my grandmother's original family. My grandmother, Nina Keys Hale, had four siblings, one of whom (a brother) died as an infant. The above photo is of Aunt Edith (right) and my late Aunt Frances, her little sister. (My grandmother Nina was their older sister, and they all had an older brother, my late Uncle Ivan.)



Here are a few more photos of Aunt Edith in her younger days. She never married (or hasn't yet ;o)), and she is a retired librarian from East Tennessee State University. She has traveled all over the world. When we were little, Aunt Edith would send my siblings and me postcards from exotic places. I loved to get mail, and I thought her travels were so cool. Also, Aunt Edith wouldn't just send one postcard addressed to the four of us. She sent each child in our family our very own postcard. I always appreciated that and thought it was very special and kind of her to do so.



For years and years, Aunt Edith has been a very involved member of her church and various church activities. She has been a leader in these activities, too. Even into her old age, she has continued to travel to various meetings and retreats to such places as Lake Junaluska, NC. Also, she has been recognized for her many years of attendance at the United Methodist Camp Meetings in Sulpher Springs. (By the way, this year's camp meeting is coming up very soon--it is a really neat and historic event to attend. You should check it out if you are in the area.)



Here is a photo of a few of the awards and honors Aunt Edith has received over the years. She has been a tireless volunteer, as you can see. For one organization alone, she has volunteered for more than 6,000 hours. As a librarian, she has helped countless university students, authors and others with various research projects. And as an aunt, she has been a big influence on our lives. Aunt Edith's influence is a reason I started writing an annual Christmas letter. She wrote a Christmas letter herself for many years, and one time told me she was thankful to have the letters that chronicled her life.

Several years ago, Aunt Edith gave me a special gift--newspaper clippings of all the stories I had written when I worked at the Johnson City Press back in the mid-1990s. I was so touched that she had not only read them, but also that she took the time to cut them out and save them.



Now ... more party pictures ...



Details about Aunt Edith's birthday reception. Aunt Edith is very creative--some of her paintings were on display at the party. For many years, she was very involved in ceramics. She gave our family many ceramic pieces over the years. She would sign the bottom of her ceramic pieces with the initials "eke." As a little girl, I did not understand that because her name was Edith Elizabeth Keys, so her initials would be "eek," right? But she was putting her last name in the middle (as in the sign). Aunt Edith and I also share a middle name, Elizabeth.


Art (my mom's cousin's husband) presents Aunt Edith with her birthday cake. Art is such a nice man--so patient and giving.


Kate with Uncle Steven


Here's Mom (Grammy), Johnny and Anna-Claire.


Grammy with five of her grandchildren (and Johnny :o))


Kate with cousins Riley, Abigail, Rebekah and Anna-Claire


Aunt Edith and me with the beautiful flowers Anne picked out from our family. :o)


Aunt Edith with extended family at the party. We love you, Aunt Edith! Happy Birthday!