She was someone very special to me

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Even though my very special Aunt has been gone now for a number of years, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her. She was a very special, positive force in my life. She never failed to tell everyone she met that I was her namesake. She didn't have an easy life. She married very young, to a soldier going off to World War 2. She managed to find a job in a bank, bought a very tiny house in the Chicago area near her parents, and supported herself. By the time her husband returned from the war and they started their lives, they couldn't seem to make it work--he had severe PTSD, they tried hard but the marriage was not going to work. They did remain good friends for their entire lives. She remarried after a time, and so did he. For those of you ladies close to my age, you may remember the Maidenform brand of lady's undergarments. She met someone who banked where she worked, who gave her a chance in that company, and she worked for them for many years. As this was during the era of the elite department stores and no Walmart, she traveled every week and flew all over the US to help establish Maidenform departments, promote their items, and at one point for a few years, she modeled their swimsuit line. She was a fun, kind and caring Christian woman who worked hard and she had a big hand in my upbringing and in my sisters. I could elaborate on all she did for us, but it would be redundant. She had her own family when I was growing up, but she always found time for us somehow. While sister was close to her, I was basically Aunt's special person somehow. When she retired and fell ill, we talked on the phone nearly every day. If we missed a day, she would always leave a message and call the next morning. To this day, I miss her cheerful voice, and her never ending love and caring. She was one in a million. This painting was done by a friend, from a photograph during Aunt's heydays of travel and modeling. Yes, it's supposed to be a bit blurry. In the picture, she fell asleep in the chair while she was reading. But she really did look as beautiful as the picture depicts, and was one of those rare souls who never, ever gave up on anything she wanted to try to do. It was one of the best traits she ever taught me and sustains me to this day. I won't ever forget her and how good she was to me. Some people are just unforgettable and special, and she definitely was.