I am among the lucky 13 who can who can say Winifred Strunk was my aunt--what fortunate people we are. But there are so many others for whom she was sister, friend, counselor. How they were related really didn’t matter…there was love flowing in both directions for all. But how best to refer to her? As a little girl, she was always Aunt Winkie—how many kids could say they had an Aunt Winkie? Not many. Over the years we toggled between Aunt Winnie, Winnie, Aunt Wink, or just Wink (as my Mom refers to her). I’m still not sure what’s best, but I know she wouldn’t care what we called her. She touched our lives in so many ways. We could hardly wait for her visits to California. That wonderful Aunt Winkie greeting—a hug and kiss that said you were the most special person on the planet. We loved sharing our stories, both happy and sad. She always knew just the right thing to say, to make you think, to reassure. And she had a laugh like no other…and so many of them! We so loved listening to her loud and raucous debates with the other adults about things that we kids really didn’t care much about. It was her passion and the confidence she had in her beliefs that stuck. (And, the occasional swear word coming from an adult was just a bonus!) Not only did we cousins have the pleasure of “summering” with Aunt Wink, so did our children. All three of mine have fond memories of their trips to New York. And she made sure that their trips were unforgettable and individualized to each of their desires. She included Broadway musicals, baseball games at Yankee Stadium, trips to the zoo and the beach, shopping at knitting stores and even a trip to a salon specializing in haircuts for those with curly hair for Maggie (and Julius, whom we understand was accused of having “nappy” hair at the salon!). All of that mixed in with some good old fashioned Aunt Winnie fun, conversation, board games and counsel made for a great summer vacation. Last summer, while she was getting through her chemo treatments, my sister Mary, niece Kate and I spent a week with her in New York. Boy did we get lucky. We had every intention of catering to her every need, assuming that she would be spending most of the time in bed recovering. In fact, it turned out she was having the best week she’d had in months. So, while we did get to take advantage of Kate’s wonderful cooking, and we were happy to take turns sleeping on the sofa next to her bed in the family room, we were able to witness her first trip up the stairs to her bedroom in months, her first trip out to dinner including a drive to the beach, some rousing games of Scrabble, a lot of HGTV, and she even purchased an iPad which became our precious connection to her in the months to come. Most of all, we spent most of the time taking advantage of more great Aunt Winnie conversation. And we got to experience, first hand, the wonderful circle of friends that were not only her support system during her illness, but more importantly, had formed her family over the years. The phone never stopped ringing, friends and former patients dropped by regularly to check in, help her with logistics, or just to catch up. It was clear that she was loved by so many others too…and we know why. Remember that iPad? Upon our return to California, my day wasn’t complete until I’d played my “Aunt Winnie Words” in at least 5 games of Words with Friends. And if I timed it just right, I could do a round in the morning before work and one in the evening too. And a victory was declared for each of the rare games that she did not win…didn’t happen often, but it was sweet when it did. And she’d be so proud of us! It became quite a competition in my house with Maddi and Maggie too. She was a brilliant competitor. And while the occasion was sad, it was such a joy to see her looking so well at Frank’s memorial service—well enough to even share the story of the amazing relationship that the Strunk siblings shared. One that became even stronger through all of their illnesses. What wonderful support they offered to one another—we should all be so fortunate. I know she brought much Aunt Winnie comfort to Frank’s family too. I miss her terribly, and she left us way too early, but she left an indelible mark on me, my children, and so many others. I know I’ll continue to rely on her love and guidance as I continue this journey on Earth, and I know there’s a lot more laughter in Heaven. I think I can hear her…