My memories of Annie Payne are as a child living next door(our backyards were next to each other)to her. She became ny mom's best friend as time went on.
Annie lived in a one family house and her single brother,Bill, and later,her widowed brother,Jim,stayed with her until their death. She kept wild roses in front of her back porch and invited my mother and me over through the years to have ice cream on her back porch. We also were there on Halloweens and helped her give out candy to the kids,which she loved to do. She loved walking to church to go to mass,as she didn't drive. She did take cabs to go shopping and I would see her from our 3rd floor window coming home. Oftentimes her light would be on in her room until 1 or 2 in the morning as she loved to stay up late reading(like my mom,who saw the light on).
Although she never got married and had no children,Annie loved cats and they were like children to her. She had 2 blacks ones that I remember and later,others.They would sleep in her drawers and Annie would always put out quite a spread for them in their spot in the kitchen. They never wanted for anything with Annie around.
Some summers Annie would go to another brother's home in New Jersey and send us postcards from Wildwood,N.J. She loved it when her other siblings would visit as she loved her family. She seemed to love routine and also enjoyed taking naps most every day,even though she didn't get up until late.
Even though it has been almost 15 yrs.since she passed away,Annie will never be forgotten and I am so happy to still keep up with her one of her nieces,Rosemary.