 Aunt
Louise we always called her. Why Aunt Louise but not Uncle Gilbert, who
was her husband? Maybe it was because she had a winsome way about her,
so that we felt she was very much our Aunty. She was quiet and gentle as
the Floods all were. They were listeners, often not commenting at all
other than with a smile, a look away, or making a transition and
changing the moment off and again to something else.
Gilbert was the strong handsome business
man and Aunt Louise was the soft spoken, genteel, lover of children. She
had no children of her own other than the niece who was adopted as a
teen age when her own Mother died. This was Louise's brother Paul's
girl, Helen. We never met Helen. The last thing we heard of her was that
she lived out of New York City.
Louise, after two years of college and
study in drama was working toward becoming an actress. She was
traveling, performing in stage shows when she met Gilbert and married
him. These Floods have an incredible ability to memorize and I'm sure if
she did go on with the acting she would have been successful.
At the year of 1958 she offered my
husband and I schooling in Havana, Cuba where they lived. It was a
wonderful dream but the political circumstances to come about stopped
this from happening. To have lived in Cuba studying the Spanish language
was a lost vision.
 Gilbert
Smith's father was an owner of a shipping line going to Cuba. Gilbert
worked for his father and had an interest in that business.
They left their beautiful home and all
their possessions in the middle of the night, thankful to have their
lives and two suitcases of clothing. Gilbert became a consultant to
business men. His command of the Spanish language made him able to do
well with this. He also worked with The United Nations. Louise's husband
Gilbert was well liked by the family. He was well bred and came from a
wealthy background. He did not make anyone feel uncomfortable when he
was with them. He liked people. Together, Louise and Gilbert were a
perfect couple. The last time I saw Gilbert he was sitting at the table
doing origami for the children. |
