Sometimes Andy just stops by for a little loving!

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Today would have been my older sister Marijean’s 84th birthday. She died on 20 November 2020. She was a quiet, sweet person, a great cook, and a hard worker. When I was a little guy, she was my babysitter.

Marijean and Topsy. Marijean actually was a very generous person.

The four Thomas kids; Marijean on the far left; the neighbor’s pug (Ladybelle) and me; Grandma McKenzie’s dog (Laddy) and Kathy; and Dick with another dog I don’t recognize. Marijean was the oldest.

Marijean, brother Dick, and Grandma McKenzie in front of her home. Gram was an immigrant from East Kilbride, Scotland. We children were “wee fairts”, which I figured out in my early 40s was “little farts’! The Thomas family sense of humor definitely came (in part) through her!

Marijean had a good sense of humor, too, though sometimes she didn’t get one. For example, she came home one time with this joke she didn’t get, even when it was explained to her:

The termite went into the bar and asked, “Is the bar tender here?”

It is a joke that must be spoken. The pun is on the words “bartender” and “bar tender“. Of course, familiarity with bars – which Marijean didn’t have! – is necessary, too. I’ve tried this joke on many people, and a surprising number don’t get it!

Thanks to Kathy, I have this group of photos of the four of us as adults. Originally, it was for our mother when she was in the care center. After Mom died, I “inherited” it. That’s the best photo I have of Marijean, on the far left. She had beautiful auburn hair in her early years.

RIP, Marijean. We miss you very much.