The theme for week 11 out of 52 weeks of ancestors is Flowers. I have to admit my first thought was myself. (The bleeding heart photo is mine) My son once accused me of taking pictures of every flower and blade of grass while we were on vacation. Guilty! I love flowers. I used to make art quilts and flowers were one of my favorites to recreate with fabric and stitch. But, ….I am not an ancestor yet.
My next choice was my grand aunt Mary. Mary Smith was born on 13 July 1897 in Moingona, Boone, Iowa. She is the youngest of my grandmothers siblings. My grandmother Nettie Myrtle Smith passed away before I was born so Mary became a grandma to me. Mary passed away on 23 November 1974 in Mesa, Arizona.
Mary had rheumatoid arthritis so she and her husband, Harold Orson Spurrier (1898-1989) moved to the warmer drier climate to help ease her pain. Mary and Orson never had any children of their own. They did keep close tabs on their nieces and nephews and all of their grand nieces and nephews.
Mary and Orson were farmers in their early life. My mom spent a lot of time at their farm when she was young. She went to live with them several times when contagious diseases were rampant, her mom helped tend the sick. She remembered her pet pig that followed her everywhere on the farm, even into the house! Not sure if this is the same pig but he was in Aunt Mary’s photos.
Mary had a number of photos of big shrubs and trees on their farm that were probably amazing in color. Their farm must have had some brilliant colors and floral scents in the spring. They had big lilac bushes and a huge apple tree. They also had many cats, a couple of them are in this photo of the lilac bush. I tried enhancing this on My Heritage but it really didn’t look like a lilac to me. I also tried on Photomyne. I’m sure it was even more gorgeous in person.
I’m not sure where this magnolia tree was located. It was quite a bit farther into her album. Mary and Olson traveled around the country visiting family everywhere in their motor home. Mary would have loved the modern phones with their ability to take beautiful color photos of all the nature surrounding us.
Mary and Orson had a number of flowers around their home in Arizona. Mary herself was the best flower of all. She was clearly in a great deal of physical pain and yet she never had anything but a kind smile and a word of encouragement for those around her. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, to be in full flower means a state of blooming or flourishing. She was one of those rare people who made you feel like you were better or flourishing just by being around her. Orson was the same, they were a beautiful couple who brought much joy into the world.
In one of the ancestry groups someone asked if people included childless couples on their tree. I couldn’t imagine leaving them out or any reason why someone would. We are not defined by our children, although our children may not agree. Mary and Orson were a beautiful couple and I am proud to share their story.
My Tree in the Forest 
I also tried colorizing some old b/w flower photos and was disappointed the program left the flowers white. Thanks for sharing the story of your aunt and uncle. (I am also writing about a childless couple this week, and agree with your sentiments.)
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