Florrie Fitzhugh (1916-2009): Naina's Memories (and photos)

I first met Florrie in Chatham in August 1996. Josh and I had only been dating a few months, but when the Alaskan cruise I was supposed to take with my mom and aunt was canceled at the last minute (the ship caught on fire!), he invited me to join him on his Cape Cod vacation instead. Having only recently relocated to the East Coast from California, I had never been to the Cape and was excited to see what it was like. I had no idea that half of Josh's family would be there as well. We were joined in Chatham by Portia, John, & Hugh (just about to start school at Deerfield), Josh & Wibs (and their dog, Joker), and of course, Florrie & Wyvill. I was a bit nervous at first, but ended up having a wonderful time -- probably a much better time than I would have had on a cruise with my mom and aunt...

I never knew my father's parents, and I lost both maternal grandparents by the time I was 23, so I was envious that Josh had such a great relationship with his grandparents, and wished I could adopt them as my own -- especially Florrie. She was so kind, generous, and welcoming that I eventually felt that I had. I was impressed with how she ran the show in Chatham and Sanibel -- organizing meals, activities, and social gatherings; how she was particular about meals and her appearance, no matter how casual the occasion (no food containers on the table!); and how she managed to be incredibly silly and yet dignified at the same time (as I'm sure will be evidenced by many of the photos posted to this site.) It was a real pleasure to get to know her and become a part of her amazing family. Her passing has left a hole in my heart...

All of my prints and photo albums are in storage during our renovation, so I'm currently limited to the digital photos on my laptop, but I did find a few images that conjure up some fond memories. (Captions are above the photos)

A colorful family photo from our wedding, Oct 14, 2000, in Alexandria, VA. We were thrilled to have Florrie & Wyvill there, and many of my friends and family members remember them from the wedding. (especially Wyvill trying to do the 'stick dance')