Aunt Barbara's funeral was March 2, 2026.  The large amount of people who attended was a testament to how much she meant to those who knew her.  There were people from Old Car Clubs, schools where she taught, and church friends.  Everywhere you looked people were telling stories and enjoying hearing things about her they hadn't known.  I'm sure Uncle Dick, Brenda, and Christine were exhausted after all of the mingling and hosting.

 

     I thought I would share a few things too.  I remember when I was 6, my sisters were impressed how pretty Aunt Barbara's hair was at Grandma Cele's on Christmas Eve.  (See video 1966 to the left.)  "Her hair was so sparkly!"  It's my opinion, Aunt Barbara's sparkly hair that Christmas, was a contributing factor to Carla becoming a hairdresser.  It made an impression.

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     Aunt Barbara and Uncle Dick told the story about when he met her at Glacier Bible Camp as she manned the Milk Bar.  In 1962 Uncle Dick went to visit Aunt Barbara and took Grandma Cele's movie camera.  He filmed a lot of his visit in Butte.  See the 1962 video to the right.  (It's about 8 minutes long.)

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     It must have been the summer of 1970; Christine was a baby.  The Hudson and Carroll families planned a trip to Johnson Shut-Ins.  I think Brenda rode with my parents, and I rode in the car with Uncle Dick, Aunt Barbara and Christine.  This was the good old days before car seats and seat belts were mandatory.  What I remember was Christine was not happy.  She was just screaming.  We were driving done the road, the windows were down, and Christine was screaming.  It had been a while since I had been around babies, and I marveled at the ability of such a small being to make such loud noises.  Aunt Barbara was holding Christine, alternating bouncing her on her lap and cradling her to her shoulder.  All the while shushing her and talking calmly and soothingly.  This went on for a while when Aunt Barbara turned to Uncle Dick and said, "Oh Dickie, she just is not happy!"  About that time Christine's crying graduated to that open mouthed silent screaming, alternated with not so silent screaming.  Her voice was quavering, and then eventually she stopped.  Either she just got tired or passed out from oxygen deprivation from all the prolonged screaming.  We all basked in the silence, as we continued down the highway in the hot car.  This also was the trip where Brenda's pickle became legend.  The younger girls, Carla, Vickie, and Brenda were wearing life vests, and all of us kids were walking through the shallower pathways through the rocks with water rushing by a little below waist height.  We had just been out of the water and had eaten a little something.  As we went back in Brenda took along a pickle, she had only just started eating.  We were walking along through one of the passages when Brenda exclaimed, "I dropped my Pickle!"  She was a little upset, because she liked pickles.  Now, you have to understand, the water is always moving at Johnson Shut-Ins, and it travels in and out of a multitude of pathways.  That pickle was long gone.  We had been walking along for several minutes when Brenda said, "There it is!"  She reached down and picked up what could only be her lost pickle.  I am unsure if she continued eating it, I just know I wouldn't have.

 

     Aunt Barbara always used to call me Mikey.  That's just the way it was.  When I was younger it didn't bother me, and she called Uncle Dick, Dickie, so that was fine.  But when I got older, I said something to mom about wishing she wouldn't call me Mikey, I guess I thought I was too big for that.  I was embarrassed one day when the whole family was together when Aunt Barbara said to me, "Your mom said that you don't like it when I call you Mikey, I'll try and call you Mike from now on."  I told her it was Ok, but she started calling me Mike after that.  I didn't expect mom to tell her; I felt kind of bad.                     

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     Here's a story that I have never shared with anyone.  True confession time.  It was sometime before the Carroll's moved out to San Carlos in St. Charles.  They were not on Nace Court either.  I think it was Christine's 2nd birthday, so that made it Brenda's 6th.  There were some decorations sitting on the kitchen table with some lit candles next to them.  It was a Peanut's theme, (Charlie Brown) and the centerpiece was a crepe paper fold out Snoopy.  I think presents had been opened already, and I was waiting for cake.  Everyone had left the room for a bit except me, and I was kind of poking Snoopy, so he leaned one way and then the other.  Aunt Barbara came back in so stopped before she saw me.  She was doing something at the sink, and I started poking Snoopy again.  I must have poked him too hard because he touched one of the lit candles and immediately 'lit up'.  Christine had come in without me noticing, and before I could say or do anything said, "Noopy hot, Noopy hot!"  Aunt Barbara moved fast, she grabbed "Hot Snoopy" and threw him into the sink, putting out the fire.  Aunt Barbara may have had her suspicions, but I was never accused of the crime of arson against Snoopy at the Carroll residence.  I'm pretty sure there is a statute of limitations on arson.

 

     I remember at the dinner after my mom's funeral, we were out on the deck eating.  I don't know what started the conversation, but Aunt Barbara started talking about things they did when Uncle Dick visited her before they got married.  She mentioned he drove one of his old cars out there and at the time she didn't know what a big part they would play in their life together.  Then she threw out how she had asked Uncle Dick, "Dickie, how about we drive out to this field I know about and watch the Chipmunks?"  

 

     I loved Aunt Barbara, and I'm going to miss her.  She always seemed upbeat and had a great laugh.  But the most important thing she left us were memories.  If you're reading this, and you have a story to share about her, I encourage you to contact me at mhudson1960@yahoo.com.  I'll just add it on here.  It would be neat if we got a lot of contributions.