subject: Great Aunt Jen, the Eccentric Relative Nobody Wanted [print this page] Great Aunt Jen's ignorance about the realities of the Depression led to her own downfall. As Billy Walker's investments dried up, so did her income, which was based on the returns of his extensive holdings. In time, she had only her home, her jewels, and an impressive car to drive wherever and whenever she wished.
On one of her overnight jaunts, she motored to the Goodes' home, unaware that Billy Walker had dropped dead from a heart attack earlier in the day. As was her custom, she parked the car in the only garage in town and plunked a generous quarter tip into the proprietor's palm. The following day, while she prepared to leave for home, the county sheriff padlocked the garage. The car, part of the deceased's estate, was impounded to satisfy his debts. Despite her threats and screams that neighbors reported were heard from one end of town to the other, the sheriff refused to give in. He was, he explained, merely following orders of the Wood County judge.
The limousine remained locked in the garage for several years until the estate was settled. During that time, local farmers often stopped by to ogle the "machine" that rivaled anything sported in a Hollywood movie. In the end, it was sold to a classic car enthusiast. Aunt Jen received none of the proceeds.
Great Aunt Jen's abrupt financial decline alarmed the family members, not because they had craved an inheritance, but for fear that she would move in with them. The implications of living with a chain-smoking night owl brought terror to Mother, her favorite niece, and deep concern about the dangers involved, among them house fires and accidental shootings. I was the only one who would have welcomed Jen with open arms, attracted by her free spirit and our mutual love of dogs.
When alternatives failed, she took as a companion her niece Flora, also divorced from a "fine man." The two disgruntled women lived together for many years, huddled against the world and mounting financial problems, until Flora soothed her own situation by committing Great Aunt Jen to the county home. There she died, penniless, an unspeakable end for the former society matron who had no patience with people headed for the Poor House.
Emily Cary is a prize-winning teacher and novelist whose articles about entertainers appear regularly in the DC Examiner. She is a genealogist, an avid traveler, and a researcher who incorporates landscapes, cultures and the power of music in her books and articles.
