MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 5. Missoula

Today is the day that we gather to honor the life of my late aunt, Alice Howe Austin. Her four children - Mike, Brian, Ellen, and Dennis planned an outdoor celebration according to Alice's wishes --"something low-key, maybe outdoors, maybe a picnic." Everyone associates Alice with the lovely homestead in Missoula, the apple trees, the expansive lawn, the flower garden and the hummingbirds. The weather, the flowers, and even the hummingbird cooperated to make this an event just what Alice would order. Maybe she did! This photo shows the lovely setting:


It is wonderful to see my cousins Brian, Dennis, Louie, Ellen (X2), and Bill; to reconnect with Mike, Torgun and Annie after so many years; and to meet Alice's brother, nieces and Missoula friends. All are living rich, interesting, and diverse lives, testimony to the breadth of Alice's network.

The main event of the day was an "Alice story sharing." Alice's friends and relatives told funny or poignant incidents about Alice as a big sister, a mother, and a community activist. Each story boiled down to another example of Alice's strong will, persistence, strength of character, and passion for social justice. Brother Artie talked about Alice's role as the eldest child with four younger brothers and how she got the nickname "Old Girl." Brian retold a story about their lives in Rochester, NY, and how Alice's passion for social justice played out within her marriage. Grandson Bill told a funny story about how Alice's determination to stay fit until the very end made her a terror in the shopping mall where she "did laps" with her walker. Her friends talked about Alice's activity fighting for civil rights and the environment which lasted her entire life. We all left the event with a wonderful sense of a life fulfilled.

Here is a photo of the relatives:

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