❤

I have one relative left of the generation, a 94 year old aunt. She just went to a assisted living/memory care place, adjusting ok I hear. We’re all relieved she’s safe now and can’t burn down her house or fall with no one there.

and several cousins are already gone. Just the three of us "kids" left (72, 74 and 79), but we are all in reasonably good health and planning to get together later this summer when the whole family is vaccinated and we can do so safely.

He was from a family of 11. Six girls, five boys. Only one of them is left, an aunt who is 90. About 15 years ago I got together with 9 of them at a reunion. My dad and the oldest uncle had already passed. I got a lot of pictures of what turned out to be the last time all were together and many cousins who blew off the reunion contact me now and then for copies. I’ve always taken the high road in family matters and I give them whatever they want.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I hardly knew of anyone in their 90s.

But living to almost 100 is "not dying fast," what we have is a mini-bubble of aged relatives. My 98 yo uncle passed in May of 2020, he sang 3 songs superbly at my Mother's (his younger sister at 96) funeral in November of 2019, and recited her funeral Mass from memory.

My Mother and my Uncle were very sharp and aware right to the end. My mother to within weeks of her death played cards, Scrabble, but had a hard time seeing crossword puzzles. It is hard to image it a loss as they were "just old people and it was their time" but they are irreplaceable as this post thread notes.

I mean that we lost 2 of the last 3 about 6 weeks apart. And our last uncle might not recover the injuries from his fall.

The people in my family, grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, all my sibs but my sister, are gone. My grandmother and her sisters lived into their 80's. My Mom made it to 87. Many of the relatives in my husband's family, on his Mom's side, lived into their 80's and 90's. His Mom was 94. The uncle who passed in March married into the family. So did the aunt who passed yesterday.

I braced myself for the reality and I was glad so many of these wonderful people lived longer than I expected. But kind of hard to say goodbye, especially on top of the Covid-19 deaths in my universe.