Aunt Marguerite's Flower

This is a flower from the funeral spray of Sue's Aunt Marguerite Pensinger Rachilla. Aunt Marguerite passed away on August 29th. She had just turned 89 on August 18th.

Born in Marion, Pennsylvania in 1921, she saw many changes to the world in which she lived. She grew up on a farm, married, had children, and otherwise lead a "normal" life. But what she did with her time in the researching and documentation of the Pensinger Family history, is a remarkable bit of work.

Before there were computers and data bases, along with search tools such as Ancestry.com and the like, Aunt Marguerite combed the actual paper records in local courthouses and libraries, amassing all that she could find about her family's history. She compiled a volume of work which validated her entry into the Daughters of the American Revolution. This tireless, and at times mundane task, has now become the basis for all the future members of the Pensinger family to embrace their history.

I only met this remarkable woman a few times, the last times were in the Assisted Care Facility in which she spent her final years. The Pensinger family held their last two re-unions at the Facility where she lived. This seemed only proper, she was, after all, the Family Matriarch. This photo was taken in Scotland, Pennsylvania sometime around 1941. The family farmhouse is in the background. She is wearing a white cotton Carmen Miranda style blouse that sets off her red hair and smiling eyes.

The flower pictured above reminds me of Psalm 90; "Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him?...Man is like a breath, his days but a passing shadow. In the morning he flourishes and springs up afresh; in the evening he is mowed down and withers. So teach us to number our days , that we may attain a heart of wisdom." I believe that Aunt Marguerite did just that.