Milly

Cousin Elly, Aunt Milly and me

Milly and Clyde Perrine were high school sweethearts and the eternal couple. Clyde met his buddy Ed’s kid sister in high school in San Francisco and immediately offered to carry her books. Idaho-born Clyde joined the Army during World War II, but he never forgot that girl, even while he manned a tank in the Battle of the Bulge.

Milly's favorite soldier, Clyde

They married in San Francisco in 1946 and after a few short years relocated to the northeast corner of Oregon, near Clyde’s native Idaho. They were married for more than sixty years, produced two marvelous daughters, created innumerable friendships and even co-founded a church. They are all-American icons, essential Oregonians, my aunt and uncle.

Milly and Clyde on their wedding day in 1946

Okay, Milly is technically my second cousin; Milly, her brother and my dad were all raised together like siblings in San Francisco near where I grew up, loving her as my only paternal aunt. Sadly, Uncle Clyde passed on more than a year ago. It’s easy to forget that Clyde’s gone, his spirit remains with the family in so many ways.

Clyde and his granddaughter Melanie January 1, 2012

Last month, there was a weekend of celebration in honor of Aunt Milly’s 90^th birthday. Woo hoo! Milly’s got many of the expected aches and pains for her age, but she’s still the same good ol’ gal that won Clyde’s heart seven decades ago.

Aunt Milly and her son-in-law, another Ed!

Milly may not be riding high in the saddle these days, but she’s definitely sharp as a tack. She could still sing the Welsh lullabies that her grandmother (my great-grandmother) learned as a little girl in Wales before immigrating to the USA in 1865. Sadly, I don’t know any Welsh myself; I last heard that lullaby when my great-grandma sang it for us at her 100^th birthday celebration in 1963. There’s some longevity in them genes, to be sure.

Sumpter Valley, Oregon

Milly’s celebration was pretty low-key, split between her Bow and Arrow Ranch in Oregon’s bucolic Sumpter Valley and a friend’s home in Baker City. There were neighbors, church friends, townsfolk, her daughters, some of the grandkids, a couple of great-grandbabies, and a passel of Perrines (Clyde’s side of the family); close to one hundred celebrants in all.

Aunt Milly in her purple raiment, with the family at her 90th

The view from the party

The old house at the Bow and Arrow Ranch

When the weekend was over, Milly and some of her kin stayed to close up the ranch. Winter’s coming and the Sumpter Valley gets quite a bit of snow. Milly is back in an assisted living facility in central Oregon. My aunt is a bit sad to be 200 miles from the beloved ranch where she raised her family and “kept tabs on Clyde” for more than half a century.  The good news is her daughter Elly and granddaughter Laurie take good care of her, visiting just about every day—and dear ol’ Clyde is always nestled close in Milly’s heart.  

My wife and I visiting Aunt Milly in 2012