Awesome Aunt Michele
Every story Cumru Township resident Michele Blood shares of her nephew and two nieces has a common theme: unconditional love.
“These kids are the love of my life,” boasts Michele of her nephew Alex, 20, and nieces Megan, 16, and Alyssa, 14. “If I had kids, I would want them to be just like my nieces and nephew.”
Known as Aunt Shelly, Michele says, “You don’t need to have children to spread love.”
To Michele, her nieces and nephew “will always be the ‘kiddies,’ even if they’re 30 and I’m walking around with a cane,” she declares.
Alex and Alyssa – children of Michele’s brother Mike Blood – and Megan – daughter of Michele’s twin sister Lorrie Majeski – have had a profound impact on Michele’s life. She says the children have helped her explore her boundaries and conquer new quests. “Each one has a different connection with me.”
Michele says Megan and Alyssa are the “thrill-seekers,” always challenging her to try new adventures, like going on rides at amusement parks.
With Megan, Michele enjoys shopping, going out to eat and having one-on-one conversations. “We like having girl time,” she adds. “We talk about school and life. I am a confidante.”
Alyssa shares Michele’s love for her alma mater Penn State, donning Penn State jackets, sweatshirts and T-shirts. “She’s my Penn State girl,” Michele boasts. “If any of them go to Penn State, it will be her.”
Over the years, Michele and Alex have traded trips to sporting events for conversations on careers. She is helping Alex fine tune his resume as he prepares to graduate from Berks Technical Institute.
“They share the excitement of what’s going on in their life with me, and I want to share my life with them,” says Michele, who has worked at Cambridge Industries for 32 years.
Michele has enjoyed annual family vacations and countless day trips and outings with her family, but her fondest memories with the kiddies encompass life’s simple pleasures. “It’s not a place, time or location – just the little things that have touched my heart and have had a big impact,” she shares.
Little things like a 3 1/2-hour car ride to Bethany Beach with a then 10-year-old Alex. “Listening to him, talking to him and getting to know him – that was one of my favorite memories with him,” she recalls.
And little things like chasing the ducks with Megan at Boehringer’s Drive-In in Adamstown after getting barbeque and ice cream – a memory they still talk about whenever they go back for treats. “Just being in that moment was special,” she reminisces.
And little things like giving Alyssa a bath when she was a toddler. “She had the cutest laugh,” Michele remembers.
Michele looks forward to life coming full circle – to witnessing each nephew and niece becoming a loving parent, uncle or aunt.
“Eventually, they will get married, have kids and have a free babysitter – I welcome that,” she grins. “I want to be the cool aunt who’s there for their kids.”
So when that happens, Great Aunt Shelly will begin her next adventure.
Cool Uncle Grant
Uncle/niece duo Grant and Corinne Brumbach have shared an unbreakable bond from the very start.
When Grant talks about his niece, he lights up like a proud parent – a telltale sign of his complete adoration for her, whom he calls “genuine, considerate and fun-loving.”
On the other hand, Corinne speaks of an extraordinary man who has made an immeasurable impact on her life – a man who knows exactly how she’s feeling.
“I wish everyone had the chance to have an uncle as supportive and joyous as he is for me,” she expresses. “As they say, friends come and go, but family is forever. By example, Uncle Grant taught me to be accepting and kind to everyone we encounter. He's my best friend who has known me my entire life.”
Grant says that Corinne – the daughter of his brother Kerry – received the “royal treatment” growing up as the only child in the family. Grant fondly recalls taking a young Corinne every year to the former Siebers Kiddie Kastle on Penn Street for a birthday dress, “something unique and one-of-a-kind,” he says.
Together, they enjoyed seeing local theater productions at Reading’s Genesius Theatre and at area churches. One of Grant’s highlights was taking Corinne to see Cinderella at Genesius when she was 7.
While he cherishes every moment with Corinne, Grant’s favorite memory was venturing to New York City to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway for Corinne’s 16th birthday. They enjoyed a bus ride to the Big Apple to have lunch, see the show and eat dinner before heading back home.
“It was great for me to see her experience that day in New York City,” recalls Grant, whom Corinne calls “Uncle G.”
Their mutual love for the theater has evolved into a 15-year tradition of Grant taking Corinne to see a Broadway show for her birthday. “We get to spend time together. It’s wonderful,” says Grant, who has worked at the Reading and Wyomissing post offices for 32 years. “We share the same bond and enjoy the same things.”
Grant and Corinne’s special bond has grown over the past three decades. They have traded kiddie drinks for “’dirty ice on the side,’ an essential ‘Uncle Grant step’ when ordering a proper martini,” Corinne says, and swapped little-girl dress shopping for bargain/thrift shopping at Goodwill. Grant has transitioned from a role model to a friend.
“Our relationship morphed as I became an adult and had more life experiences,” reveals Corinne, who sees her uncle weekly and chats and texts in between visits. “We share characteristics and idiosyncrasies to which only a family member can relate, like packing for a trip three weeks in advance, practicing our instrumental duets until it's perfect or leaving excessively early for an appointment.”
Grant adds, “Now that she’s older, we enjoy a good red wine and enjoy getting together on a different level. I think it’s really cool that she still wants to hang out with her uncle.”
Amazing Aunt Wendy
Fleetwood resident Wendy Koller uses the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” when describing her family. She and her husband Joseph are the cool aunt and uncle in the “village” who provide some extra support to Joseph’s sister Melissa McCluskey and her five children.
“I’ve always liked being around children,” Wendy says. “They really do give you something to smile and laugh about. And we have an added bonus with being able to hand them over at the end of the day,” she adds with a laugh.
Wendy and Joseph have unique relationships with their niece Katerina, 19, and four nephews Dustin, 21; Tristin, 9; Wyatt, 8; and Caleb, 4.
Wendy became a part of the Koller family in 2005 when she began dating Joseph. They enjoyed taking Dustin, then 10, and Katerina, then 8, to movies, amusement parks, museums, car shows, sporting events and Broadway plays. Wendy and Joseph cheered on Dustin at his wrestling matches and football games and Katerina at her dance recitals and cheerleading activities.
As the younger siblings came along, Dustin and Katerina spent many weekends with Aunt Wendy and Uncle Joseph when the family was busy caring for the littler ones.
“We were their escape during their teenage years,” shares Wendy, who works at the Reading Public Museum.
With Dustin and Katerina now young adults, Wendy speaks fondly of how their relationships have developed from “more of a caregiver to a friend,” she says.
Today, Aunt Wendy and Katerina go to dinner and the movies, share fashion tips and get their nails done. Now a salon stylist, Katerina styles Wendy’s hair. “She used to do my nails too, but we realized it was more fun to go together,” she laughs.
Of her grown nephew, she says, “Dustin goes out of his way to call us or help us. He’s always willing to lend us a hand.”
Tristin, Wyatt and Caleb are following in their older siblings’ footsteps and enjoying the same activities with their aunt and uncle as Dustin and Katerina did when they were kids. And Wendy and Joseph are once again spectators, cheering on the older boys at wrestling matches and baseball games. This summer they will support Caleb when he starts T-ball.
One of Wendy’s favorite memories was taking then-8-year-old Tristin – a space buff – to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. “His face of seeing the sheer magnitude of the space shuttle was incredible,” Wendy recalls.
Wendy and Joseph host every holiday and birthday meal for the kids. They go on summer vacations together, and Wendy hosts other fun family traditions, like making homemade candy at Christmas and fasnachts to mark Fat Tuesday.
Whenever food is involved, the younger boys are nearby. “The boys are usually my official taste testers,” shares Wendy. “They will tell you they hang out a lot in my kitchen or around my dining room table.”
Wendy mentions there is no shortage of love in the family. “The kids think it’s cool they have someone else to turn to. We’re grown-ups looking out for them, and they know that.”
Come June, Wendy and Joseph will have another little one “to look out for” when Melissa delivers her sixth child. “Rumor has it the next one is a girl,” she reveals. “We’re so excited.”
By Kandace Wertz | Photos by Maria Stamy, Maria Stamy Photography
