I’ve written many times about my aunt, Helen Diana Burgess. Coincidentally, I wrote a significant piece about her for Week 9 of the 2022 52 Ancestors Challenge. Sadly, she left us too soon, at age 48. Despite the short period of time I had her in my life, Aunt Diana made an incredible impact on me. Even though she died 23 years ago, it is rare for a day to go by in which I do not think of her. Whether it’s a favourite book, a memento, or piece of art, there is always something that brings back fond memories of my aunt. I am frequently sharing stories of her with my wife and children.
Moreover, as an avid genealogist, I frequently see queries on social media asking about paper preservation and proper storage of family heirlooms. Diana was a leading conservation scientist, whose expertise included paper, so these queries always remind me of her. I wrote about this last year in Week 40, “Preservation”.
Unfortunately, in the early 1990s, when she was at the height of her career, Diana developed lupus. She was a senior conservation scientist at the Canadian Conservation Institute at the time, but was forced into early retirement by the effects of the disease in 1998. Aunt Diana passed away a year later. At the annual conference of the Western Association for Art Conservation following her death, several of the presentations were dedicated to her memory.
Many of my interests that Aunt Diana nurtured in me I have passed on to our children. Some of the most treasured books I have from my childhood were gifts from her. I still have those books and my kids have read and re-read them voraciously. While Diana could not have known it, not only did she foster my development as a person, but that of my kids as well.
A Deck of Ancestors 