When I solicited my cousins farthings to share about Aunt Bernice, to capture her spirit and what made her special, the themes that emerged were these:

She played a big part in our lives, starting with babysitting for some of us and extending through ALL the events she was invited to, and made a point of attending. She showed genuine interest and care for everyone in the family along with their extended families as they expanded over the years. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. She was a good listener and storyteller, enjoying telling us stories about her experiences and travels. She had several hobbies -she loved reading, knitting (which she tried to teach us, but only a few learned and still knit), ceramics (which many of us still have), other crafts and playing solitaire on the computer and taking care of her cats.

You may remember she had an apartment in Castle Shannon -living independently (with a parakeet) at the time, which inspired several of her young nieces. United Airlines moved her reservationist job to Cleveland, Ohio where she lived in a mobile home. She loved her work and had many regular customers who counted on her fortheir flight arrangements.

This was a time before the Internet, when you had to call to set up your trips.

When she returned to Pittsburgh, she bought a home in Cloverleaf Estates West, which she shared with Aunt Ruth. It then became a base for the Malingowski clan. Uncle Whitey and Aunt Marilyn, my parents-Bob and Sis Colwell, and Aunt Pat Sebastian and her daughter Arlene, all lived there, just minutes from each other for many years, which was a wonderful support system for all of them.

Some of the stories and memories we have of Aunt Bernice include:

She took some of the Colwell kids on our first airplane ride when United had a "family event". Little did we know how common commercial airplane flights would become over the years. She was also the first person I knew who visited Hawaii, and she sparked my liking of macadamia nuts with the gifts she brought back.

At Christmas, she used to drive to Uncle Joe's in the morning and as his daughters tell it, there was excitement watching from the windows as they pulled up and unloaded shopping bags full of presents for the family. Especially considering that they did not have grandparents to spoil them -Aunt Bernice did! Then she would come to whichever home was holding the Colwell family Christmas dinner and celebrate with us, too!

Aunt Bernice was there-for birthdays, baptisms, first holy communions, holidays, graduations, weddings and funerals. Day to day, she loved to go out to eat for lunch or dinner, orto shop. She even liked to shop for groceries, which Sharon handled with her for many years. Aunt Bernice loved grocery shopping, browsing up and down the aisles of Shop N Save in Carnegie, Sharon -not so much!

Aunt Bernice loved having flowers blooming in the summer and insisted on keeping her yard and landscaping looking nice.

One of the last trips "East" that she took involved a Senior recital for Alyssa, followed by a visit to Carrie's in York. She was right there to give Alyssa a teary-eyed hug after her beautiful performance, and then she visited Carrie, who took very good care of her, including a quad cane and new shoes. All you had to do was ask her about her trip, and she broke into a big smile and gave you all the details.

When Aunt Bernice came to the Colwell's for holidays, she sometimes made a pumpkin roll, which was a favorite of many of us. The one time she (supposedly) made one but neglected to put it in her car for the trip from Cleveland, gave us the opportunity to tease her about it for years.

Another memorable trip for Donna and John was when the twins were small, and she accompanied them to Oregon to help. She had a fear of heights but gamely went along on their outings.

Bob remembers a trip to New Jersey in his new car for his new job, when Aunt Bernice accompanied he and Ellen, then flew home. He also mentioned that he had just met Ellen at a Halloween party and two months later he already knew it was a serious relationship that he didn't want to screw up. What to get her for Christmas? Ask Aunt Bernice! Not only did she help, but she also drove him to the store and helped him pick out the gift. What a relief!

Jim remembers a ride in Aunt Bernice's Corvair before seat belts were required. There was a dip in Provost Road where you could "get air" at the right speed. They got air and he loved it, but the best pa rt was that she turned around and did it again!

Day to day over the years, Donna and John ended up being the transport to many doctor visits and then, of course, eating out afterward.

Chris recalls the Ohio weekends when she was in college near Aunt Bernice, when they always had fish and mac 'n cheese for dinner- it became a tradition! Chris also promised to buy her a Porsche when she became rich and famous. Although that didn't happen, she hopes Aunt Bernice finally has her Porsche in heaven and is taking her siblings for rides.

Denis and Melanie generously hosted Aunt Bernice's 90th Birthday party and although she didn't make itto 100 years old like she said, it was blessing to have her in our lives. She loved all of us and we were better for it. Each of us has special memories of our time with her, and even after her first stroke when she struggled to communicate, her eyes still expressed strength, grace and love. She was genuinely interested in us and did her best to care for us when she could.

A special acknowledgement should be here for her niece Patty, who took very good care of her, the cat, the house and her affairs in general for the past several years. We are all grateful for all she did.

Patty said that when they were filling out forms at one point, the task said to sum up your life-Aunt Bernice said to tell everyone that "She had fun".

RIP Aunt Bernice