Deeann, the photographer

All through the years, my cousin Deeann has taken lots of grief over her passion for "capturing the moment" with her camera.

It didn't have to be any special occasion - stop on the side of the road and take a pic if the scenery were pretty and we were together. Her brothers especially grumbled on occasion at having to stop something they were doing - probably sports related - for a picture.
But on Tuesday, at Aunt Mary's funeral, I'll bet they were all glad she was so persistent. The video of family pictures flowed before us, some terribly funny and some heartbreakingly sad. It was a perfect panorama of the family's changes as the years went by. Not all of them were Deeann's - A beautiful, young Mary holding her son Ralph, who died at 3 years, and a portrait of Aunt Mary with a Deeann-looking Sandra who followed Ralph at 7 years. Her young, handsome husband, Billy, who she adored and lost so many years ago, and Bobby who we gathered together only a year ago to mourn. I think, however, my favorite picture was the last. It showed a huddled group of team and fans following a Millsap Bulldog football game. You couldn't tell if they'd won or lost, but you could see Aunt Mary. Right in the center of the group, there she was - tiny, frail and looking quite old. It was beautifully taken, and I'll bet those brothers were not complaining as we watched it that Deeann had had her camera ready as always, to catch a perfect moment in time.
It's funny, our roles in our family. Deeann, on this occasion, full-filled hers perfectly. Thanks, cousin.



Well, at Aunt Mary's funeral last week, I was thinking how glad we should all be with her now. The slide show was quite a documentation of the family's change through the years, both greatly funny and sad. To pick a favorite would have been truly hard, but I think the last shot of the show was my favorite. It showed a scene at the end of a Millsap Bulldog's football game, with everyone in the center of the field. I don't know if they won or lost, but there, centered right where you could see her, was Aunt Mary. Tiny, wirey, old aunt Mary