Farewell Aunt Claire

 

Last night, my dear aunt Claire Mahler passed away. She had a great sense of humor. She was super witty, super quick. I talked to her on the phone every few months and I am so very glad about that.

We talked about our families, my kids and her grandchildren. We talked about God sometimes and Judaism and Catholicism. One time we talked about Buddhism. We talked about sobriety. She had been sober for thirteen years and was very proud of that.

I can’t say I knew her as well as many other people. Who knows if the ideas I have in my head about her are accurate or can begin to paint even a partial picture of who she really was. But I do have an image of her.

I remember that she loved David Bowie, who died just eight days before she did. I remember when I was a little girl, she used to wear bell bottoms and burn incense in the apartment where we visited her. I remember she used to have a St. Bernard named Judge.

I remember once she tricked me into wrapping my own Christmas present. And for some reason, I thought this was the most clever, devilish trickery that had even been put upon me. I thought it was hilarious.

Almost every time I spoke to her, she talked about what a great parent my dad is, and how she always wanted to be a great parent like that. I'm thinking she wasn't too far off from hitting that goal. She was a fabulous aunt and she will be missed.