At A Very Young Age

Our aunt, Margee Kountz became an aunt at a very young age…just 18 months, to be exact. Of course, I’m sure she really didn’t know about it for a while, and by the time she did know, it was simply the normal for her. Margee is not the youngest aunt in history, of course, because some kids are actually born as aunts or uncles. Still, it is an interesting fact of life for Margee. She grew up around not one, but a number of nieces and nephews. By the time Margee was eighteen years old, in 1967, she had four nieces and one nephew. Another niece and two nephews would be added in quick succession but also added to her life at about the same time, would be her own children, Dan and Sandi Kountz.

Becoming a mother was probably not all that much different from helping out with her nieces and nephews, except for the fact that she had to take care of her own kids full time…not going home after babysitting, like she did with nieces and nephews. Maybe that’s why Margee was such a good mom both while she was married, and later as a single mom. Margee has always had a helping heart, and a heart for kids. In reality, she is just a kindhearted person in every way. She helped raise her grandchildren and helped care for her sister, my mother-in-law, Joann Schulenberg when we needed her help during mom’s Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t know what we would have done without Margee, and it was comforting to my mother-in-law, because she knew Margee, and we didn’t have to use a home health nurse or respite care worker as much.

Those years of caring for others are behind Margee now, but she still has her health for the most part. She is the last of the siblings in her family, because her sisters, Joann and Linda are both in Heaven now. We are thankful to still have Margee with us. She is the last link to her entire generation. These days, Margee does all the common things people younger than she is, do online. She is on Facebook, she texts, and she uses a cell phone. At 76 years of age, many people have no idea how to operate in the computer age, but Margee is sharp as a tack, and she is still going strong on the tech stuff. That’s something to be proud of. Today is Margee’s 76th birthday. Happy birthday Margee!! Have a great day!! We love you!!