Thursday, December 16, 2021
My aunt was a vibrant soul, someone who literally lit up a room whenever she entered. She was always full of joy and always not just willing, but eager to help out, no matter what the problem was.
We actually bonded two things on completely different ends of the spectrum. The first thing was tastes in music - we were both huge fans of anything 80s pop. Whenever I rode with her in the brown Ford Explorer my grandparents now drive we both spent way too much time carefully curating the perfect playlists. The one that always seemed to be included was "Total Eclipse of the Heart", the hit by Bonnie Tyler. We would of course sing as "hard" as we possibly could to it and it seemed to have some special connection to her but I never found out what it was. I've never been able to listen to that song without fond memories of drives around Raleigh or around a family reunion area coming to mind.
The other thing we bonded over was how hard we went during family intramural events. I've always been extremely competitive and if a family event was happening I was for sure the one going around getting people for wiffleball or Kick the Can or, for what I thought was a Hare family original, Any Bears Out Tonight. When it came to those games I was the ducking, diving, dodging kid and then young teenager and she was either my first pick for teammate or my rival doing the same for the opposing team. I knew if I hit a ball to her side I was gonna have to outrun a throw as opposed to being able to lollygag to safety.
She was a shrewd card player as well - the best teammate in Rook and the most likely to set you in the same game. I remember bending and arguably breaking table talk rules to try and get her on my team as often as possible. I wanted her on my side no matter what the game was. I consider myself truly blessed to have her on my side, to have her as family for the years I got.
I will never be able to express the sadness that all of us share over this loss. Lanie, thank you for everything you've given us – and the warmth we shared during your precious time on earth. God bless you. Always.
