My great-aunt Cynthia...a woman of class and grace

My great-aunt, Cynthia Pearl  Carroll Todt

Going through my recently-passed mother's household effects has been both sad and rewarding.  Among the plusses: finding vintage pictures of family loved ones.  Like my great-aunt Cynthia.

Cynthia Pearl Carroll Todt was my mom's sister.  She and her husband, Bill Todt, an executive in the Gulf Oil Corporation in West Texas, were childless, and they adored my mother.

Auntie, age 16...circa 1926

Together, they had an enormous influence on my mother, and by extension, me.

"Auntie," as she was called (with the West Texas drawl that made it sound more like Ain't-ee), was a woman of class and grace.

My earliest memories of her include her red lipstick and beautifully manicured red fingernail polish.  Her clothes were timeless and elegant.

This so reminds me of clothes I've seen on Downton Abbey

She loved make-up, a love she passed on to my sisters and me.  Her home was lovely and gracious, and  had a wonderful smell all its own, an aroma I wish I could bottle and spray in my own home.

Auntie and Uncle Bill, circa 1940's

My mom was named after her, and then I was named after my mom.  Cynthia Pearl...Cynthia Anne...and I'm Cynthia Susan.

Sass!

I hope you enjoy these pictures.  I love their vintage quality and charm, and they connect me with a lovely woman from my family's past.