To some she was known as Anna, Anna Ruth, Mrs. DeArmond, some even referred to her as Mrs. Dearmond, my Dad’s cousin in Detroit called her “Pockie”; her children sometimes called her Ma – but for everybody else, Irving Street friends and all the rest of us, she was “Boney”. I don’t know how she got the name, "Pockie" – but my Mom called her Boney because she had a skinny neck. My Grandmother always remarked “That’s a pretty child” and indeed she was. Boney was quiet, her nature was quiet. She didn’t talk a whole lot but she listened and she heard – she paid attention and she didn’t mind asking questions to get clarification. The first question I can remember her asking was to my Dad after Wibbi was born – Boney was 4 – “Daddy am I still the baby?”. She asked that question for days and my Dad would answer “You’re the baby girl”. She’d proudly come and announce to me, “Daddy said I’m the baby girl”. As a little girl Boney loved scary movies. I didn’t love them and still don’t – but I had to stay up late with her to watch the scary movies – “House on a Haunted Hill” on the Bob Shreeve all night theatre. Louie said we were silly to be huddled up under the cover scared looking at the movie. Bone still likes scarry movies. Each year she made her Christmas list of movies – Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock stuff, Vincent Price, and our shared favorite – Columbo. Boney watched her tapes and CDs until they failed to play. She’d tell me when one stopped and I’d replace it. I’m sure I bought “What ever happened to Baby Jane” several times. Boney was our baby sitter. She watched all of my children and some of the younger cousins at some point or another. She let them do pretty much whatever they wanted, but she never let them get hurt. If you come to our house – you’re going to get a nickname. I couldn’t find nick names for the twins – Boney said let’s call the fat one, Huggie Bear, and the skinny one Trench Coat – I kept the Huggie Bear – but rejected the Trench Coat. Once she started keeping them on a regular basis – she called David – little loon boon. She nicknamed Kendrick, spear head and Louie twisted it to Spuzzie. As a child she liked animals and was never scared to pick up a bug and quietly threaten to put it on me. Do you remember her purple chicken, Pepper? She has a way of making you laugh although she wasn’t trying. She seriously meant whatever she was saying – her words counted because she didn’t give you many. Once she excitedly asked me “Did you see the stories today…they were so good”. I said “No, tell me what happened”. Bones said “I don’t know, but they were good”. I never heard her complain about anything – although I’ve seen her shed plenty tears – when her children were young, they cried just like her…… Just like she played her movies until they wore out, she used her things the same way – for years – pink satin bonnet – no rubber, pink bag – broken zipper, purse, and ah, the infamous turquoise jump suit – holes and ruins just like stockings. Bones loved bubble bath and Shower to Shower body powder. She looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner each year. She was the biggest fan of my sweet potato pies. She’d give me her menu request early. She didn’t like to travel much – but she’s going to come over on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m going to miss her gifts, how she’d check to see if I stated my shopping, the little faces she’d make instead of a comment, the delight in her voice when she greeted the kids, and the salutations we exchange when I’d leave her house in the evening, I’d say, “See ya Bones”, and she’d say “See ya Verdie!”……