Monday, December 12, 2022
/public-file/333/Ultra/8fcb1f91-f2c6-4bab-9975-8fed9ebf9eb9.jpeg
/public-file/334/Ultra/b61d8ab5-17fd-4bc5-a1a6-69d45a334bab.jpeg
/public-file/335/Ultra/5aaeacf6-1da0-459e-9f40-53c112731ce1.jpeg
Aunt Pat, as my family called her (she was actually Bill’s aunt), was the last of the “Killer Aunts.” Who or what is a “Killer Aunt?” The Killer Aunts were Pat Graham, Mary O’Dea, and Gerry Coonly (and to my knowledge, they never actually knocked anyone off!). In the 1980’s, we had moved to Clifton Park, NY. We introduced the family to the thoroughbred horse races, which took place every August, in nearby Saratoga Springs, NY. This is a family that LOVES to gamble, so this was right up their alley. You sat in camp chairs that you brought, in a park-like setting under old shade trees at the race track. You could drink beer, bet on the horses, and watch it on TVs attached to the trees, all from the comfort of your camp chair with beer in hand! This became an annual, family event with Uncle Bill and Aunt Pat, Uncle Tom and Aunt Gerry, and Aunt Mary! Even Grandma Gert participated occasionally.
We had watched some goofy movie about killer bees that arrived in a swarm. Well, when the family arrived to stay with us for the horse races, the aunts were like the bees in a swarm. They brought their own food, booze, entertainment (cards, of course); they cooked and cleaned, and entertained my children. And thus, like swarming bees, we dubbed them “The Killer Aunts.” I had a neighbor once say to me, “Don’t you hate having all that company?” My reply was, “Oh no — not with the Killer Aunts — it’s like a mini-vacation for me, as they swarm in and take over!” We will miss our Killer Aunts — they were awesome ladies, and they brought so much fun, laughter and love into our lives.
