I am Terry Harper, the son of John Harper (the middle brother of Charlotte). I am Charlotte's eldest nephew, born in Brownsville Texas on Jan. 15, 1952. I am 54 years old and currently reside in Seguin, Texas.

Though I have many fond memories of my Aunt Charlotte, two stick out in my memory very vividly. The first was in the summer of 1963. It has been 43 years since then and I am relying on what I remember as an 11 year old boy. I remember my parents were going to a convention in Atlantic City NJ. Mom and Dad dropped me, my two younger Brothers and our grandmother, Virginia Harper at Aunt Charlotte's home on a farm in Belmont, Ohio. I was in awe at the old farmhouse and the surrounding countryside in comparison to the arid and flat South Texas I had always known. I remember Charllote getting up in the early mornings and finding her in her dress and apron fixing breakfast for all us kids. I especially remember her cooking and being sick to her stomach at the same time, but it never slowed her down. At that age I had no idea nor did I understand morning sickness, as I now know she was expecting Liz.

I also was amazed at the resemblance of Charlotte and my Grandmother. They looked very similar, dressed very similar and were not only wonderful cooks but also two of the most loving people I had ever been around. All my life, and even though I am now an old man, Aunt Charlotte had always calls me “Her Boy” and smothers me with hugs and kisses every time she saw me. As a little boy, I wanted to run when I would see her because I knew she was going to kiss me all over my face “Yuck”. I had no idea then that those kisses would be one of my favorite memories.

The second favorite memory was made only a few years ago in the summer of 2004. Aunt Charlotte wanted to go to Corpus Christi and see the beach again. It was sort of a mini family reunion of children, grand children, and nieces and nephews. My youngest daughter had just received her beginners driving license and she and I struck off for the coast to see Charlotte and get some driving experience. When we arrived at the park on Padre Island, Charlotte was sitting in her wheel chair with her swimsuit on, a large hat, the wind blowing in her face, and a smile as big as the Gulf of Mexico. This may be hard to believe but when she saw me, her smile grew even larger. I momentarily had a strange urge to run because I knew I was about to receive a Texas size hug and have every inch of my haggard old face covered with kisses. Only a person with as much love as Charlotte would want to kiss my face that much. As the day progressed we returned to the motel where Charlotte and I had time to talk alone for a long period. She talked and talked and even cried a little. In those few short hours, we covered many years of memories. It was a very sad time when we had to part, as I was not sure that this might have been the last time I would see her until we gather in heaven. As we drove home, I rejoiced in knowing that my life had been blessed by possibly the most loving person on earth.

Charlotte will be missed, but our next reunion will not only be the best but it will be eternal and that will make the wait worthwhile. I’ll come running for that hug and all those kisses.

Charlotte Ann Harper