I just found the obituary for my aunt Gwen benson when I was doing a search for my relatives aunts cousins ect that I lost touch with. I can only say that though in my later adult years I lost touch with my aunt and cousins I regret this and that the last time I saw aunt Gwen was in Dec 2002 when my mom Dorothy Lettice passed in Auburn NY and we held a memorial for my mom in the nursing home chapel. I never thought this day would be the last day I ever saw many of my family members including my aunt Gwen cousin pattie and Freddy aunt Gwen’s children or even my own siblings Jonny and Mickey Lettice our mom Dorothy’s memorial was the last time I ever seen my brothers too. Illness injury distance many things got in the way of stsying in touch and none of them is an excuse for forgetting to keep close bonds and ties with family even if we are far away even if we are struggling with injury or disability or illness or whatever the issue even if we can’t get together physically with our family members they are only a phone call away and as technology developed it became so much easier to contact loved ones and stay in touch easily through cell phones facebook and social media emsil face mail ect. Technology like cell phones had not quite advanced by the time I last united with my siblings and extended family at my mom Dorothy’s memorial but email had come into existence and cell phones were only a few years away though didn’t become affordable and easy to use until around 2008. Still I regret I didn’t make the needed efforts to stay in touch with Aunt Gwen and her kids my cousin Patty and Freddy aftrr my mom passed. Aunt Gwen was so awesome. As a kid we were very close. I remember my mom bringing me to stay with Aunt Gwen and my Uncle John at thier home somewhere in or near Rochester NY. I remember when I stayed with Aunt Gwen she was so nice to me and so much fun. I loved and still remember her taking me with her to her job at the elementary school. Aunt Gwen worked in the cafeteria there at the school I was to young to remember if she was a volunteer or worked at the school cafeteria but I do still remember how much she loved it and how kind and funny she was with all the kids eating lunch. I remember her getting me a carton of milk and chocolate milk remember like the old fashioned single serving milk cartons they used to serve at schools. To this day I’ll never forget aunt Gwen bringing me with her to work at the school cafeteria. I also remember playing in the backyard of aunt Gwen and uncle John’s house and they had a black dog don’t know breed but his nsme was Tippy and I remember tippy liked me. Aunt Gwen loved tippy too and her and uncle John loved animsls. When I got a little older and had pepie the poodle my dad bought me aunt Gwen loved peppy and I remember how when peppy girlfriend had puppies and I got to keep one of puppies puppy’s fe fe aunt Gwen got to meet fe fe and noticed that something wasn’t normal with fe fe she told my dad the dog had bloat and we better get the pup to vet immediately or it could be fatal. This was Chirstmas eve I was maybe 14 yrs old and we always went to Rochester for Christmas eve to spend it with my dad’s sister my aunt Terry but I always wanted to stop on way and see aunt Gwen and my Das would take me. We were thankful that Christmas eve with puppies newborn pup fe fe that we stopped at aunt Gwen’s first because had it not been for her seeing fe fe and telling my dad he needed to find vet open and get the pup there ASAP the pup could die. Aunt Gwen told my dad because she cared she called around looked in phone book and found a vet to take fe fe on Christmas eve day. Thank God because fe fe needed emergency surgery and had it not been for aunt Gwen fe fe wouldn’t have made it . That’s just an example of how aunt Gwen was. She cared deeply about people and about my little pup fe fe. She was slways helping someone she helped me through live more than once just by talking to me and giving great advise and encouragement. She always made me feel good about myself . My mom Dorothy dealt with many sad and serious problems in her life including different painful conditions and mental health issues and it made my mom not slways feel good about herself but I remember how loving and supportive my aunt Gwen my mom’s sister was to my mom. Aunt Gwen always made my mom feel and do better. I remember as older teenager and young adult I’d go to the camp resort on Canandaigua Lake an st a y at the campground with my Aunt Gwen Uncle John and my mom I would sleep out on a mattress in the car at night and in the daytime we would go swimming at the lake and take walks around the campground and have good food and fellowship and I remember how my mom was so happy there I remember even visiting my Aunt Gwen with my friends my boyfriend David and my friend Joe and coming and staying at the campground and how kind Aunt Gwen was to my friends I brought my friends Joni and Holly there once at separate times and she let us stay we camped out in our vehicle and spend time with Aunt Gwen during the day we went and did stop and swim in the lake together it was always a wonderful time and I miss those times there are other times too like when I was a little kid I remember my cousin Patty when she still lived with Aunt Gwen and I miss her too she used to be so nice to me she was so beautiful and from what I see in pictures she still is beautiful and I remember kind of lost touch with her when she got married but I do remember seeing my cousin Freddy and Gwen’s son more than once and even going skiing and teaching him to ski with me when I became a ski instructor he didn’t need teaching no he was already a very good skier and we had a lot of fun together that day I remember I’m coming to visit at my first condo that I bought behind the buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park New York and Aunt Gwen came there to stay with me too with Uncle John there were many good times with my Aunt Gwen and I am so sorry she is gone but there is one thing I know she always believed in God she taught me about God I believe she witnessed God to my mom too and as a result I know I became a Christian and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ is my savior and I believe that my mama Dorothy did as well and one love the Lord and she served the Lord with her kindness and care for other people I know she’s in heaven with Jesus and I look forward to the day when my time comes to go be with Jesus that I can give her a big hug and tell her I’m so sorry we lost touch don’t lose touch with your loved ones they are so important and I only wish I could turn back the clock I don’t know if her son Friday or daughter Patty will ever see this but if they do I hope they will get in touch with me and I’ll even leave my number it’s 386-333 2932 Kathy your cousin I’m so sorry for the loss of your mom and that I wasn’t there for you and that after my mom died I lost total touch someday we’ll talk about it I hope love you Patty and Freddy