The Coolest Person You've Never Heard Of
Fannie Irene Taylor
Hey Readers!
This week at A Busy Lady Substack, I’m taking a trip back in time to introduce you to someone extraordinary that you’ve never heard of. Imagine a woman that could light up a room just by walking into it, with a spirit tough as nails and a life worthy of its own novel. That woman is my great Aunt Renie.
Fannie Irene, better known as “Renie”, was my maternal grandfather’s sister. She’s been on my mind this week as another creative project I was working on reminded me of her. Her spunk is a legacy in my family, so I thought, why not share her with all of you? The coolest part - you get to hear her sing at the end of this post!
I’ve heard a few times over the years that in publishing, memoir is the hardest story to sell. That is, unless, of course, you are Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. And I get it, because publishing is a business, after all. Like any corporation, it has a duty to its shareholders who want one thing and one thing only: profit.
Still, we lose when we don’t honor the lives and histories of everyday people. It’s their stories that contributed to our collective story today.
Sometimes, there are certain people that have so much light and life inside them, it spills over like a flood into our own lives. For me, that person was Aunt Renie.
Renie and her horse.
Aunt Renie played a big part in who I am today. She’s not only family, but an unexpected muse. When I was writing All These Threads of Time, I didn’t realize until after I’d written it that I’d based one of the characters, Nonna, on her.
The real “Nonna,” that is Renie, was full of spunk. Or “spit and vinegar” as she’d say. Armed with wit, sass and independence, she was more alive in her late 80s than my teenage peers at the time. She survived two world wars, the Great Depression, lived in poverty as a child, and lived much of her life without television, or other modern technologies.
There was never a dull moment when she stayed at our house, filling the space with her country music, stories of days past, and her infectious laughter that could shake you out of any funk. After my grandfather passed, and my mother’s sister was diagnosed with cancer, Renie became the bright, unwavering light my family so desperately needed.
Here are some of the reasons why she’s the coolest person you’ve never heard of.
1. Fannie Irene Taylor was born in 1910. Her mother died during childbirth, leaving her to be raised by her father, and then later, her stepmother, Alice. Alice would give birth to my grandfather, Orrin (who is another one of the coolest people you never heard of) and four other boys, leaving a total of 17 children between the two families that joined together. Alice grew tired of farm life in later years, and left the family to live in the city. Despite never knowing her birth mother, and being later abandoned by her stepmother, Renie became everyone’s mom as she was always there with a good joke and endless enthusiasm that made you excited for life, even on the darkest days.
Also, of her 16 siblings, Renie was closest to her little brother Orrin, even giving him the famous nickname “Bud” because she said he “looked like a little sweet rosebud all swaddled up in his blanket.” The two, closer in age than the rest, grew up mostly together.
Renie as a young girl.
2. Renie hated the name “Fannie” so she decided from a young age to go by Irene. Those closest to her called her Renie. She loved horses and often told me stories about riding in a horse and buggy when she was a young girl with her father. I was just fourteen when she told me stories about riding in the horse and buggy. It amazed me that she knew life before cars were the main transportation.
3. As a kid, she grew up playing baseball in the street with her brothers and their friends. She told me she could hit the ball better than any boy and wasn’t afraid to keep up with all their shenanigans. According to Renie, she even won a spitting contest once.
4. She couldn’t wait to get a job to have her own money. Why? She never had a good pair of shoes growing up. Her first job (and only, as she worked there her entire life) was at Pratt & Whitney. And what did she do with her first paycheck? You guessed it! She bought a pair of shoes, of course.
Renie with her sister, Ethel, and father. Renie is on the right.
5. Aunt Renie may have had to wait for a good pair of shoes, but she spent most of her adult life dressed to the nines. Though I mostly knew her to be in purple flowered housedresses and costume jewelry, she was known in her younger days for her stylish outfits.
6. Purple was her favorite color. She always wore it. She had purple flowers outside her house. A purple bedroom. She was even laid to rest in a purple casket. I still have one of her handkerchiefs, trimmed in purple.
7. Renie loved to travel. Her favorite vacations were to Hawaii, where she met a famous boxer and the famous singer, Don Ho. In fact, she met Don Ho a few times and often raved about the time he kissed her. She had photos to prove it and loved pulling out the black and white pictures as she told the story over her favorite drink, a Manhattan Cocktail.
8. When she drank her Manhattan Cocktail, she had a rule. She could only have one. After that, tea with lemon was her drink of choice. She was a self-proclaimed “giggle britches” who loved to laugh and have fun. Too many drink and I’ll pee my pants from laughing, she’d say.
Renie with her mother in law, Grandma Taylor.
9. She wanted children but was unable to have them. As a child, she’d almost died with a terrible case of appendicitis. As an adult, her doctor told her the appendicitis episode caused her to not be able to have kids. I’m not sure if that is medically accurate, but it’s what she was told and despite trying, she never had children. But Renie didn’t let that dampen her spirit. Despite the many trials she faced throughout her life, she always stayed positive, worried more about how she could bring joy to others. We shared birthdays just a few days apart, and often celebrated together. She always squeezed my hand tight as we blew out the candles.
10.She was married for several decades to the love of her life, Teddy. A few short years after his death, she married his best friend, who was also recently widowed. She was in her sixties at the time and the marriage was much to the dismay of many who felt she was too old to marry again. Of course, she didn’t listen to that nonsense. They remained married for over twenty years.
11. Her favorite soda was Moxie. She always had it in the house, even in the 90s. I can still remember standing in her kitchen as she got me a can of the bitter drink from her fridge, recalling how she used to drink it with her father as a girl. You can learn a lot about life from a can of Moxie, darlin, she’d say. Don’t be so bitter you lose your sweetness.
Photo courtesy of z107.3.com
12. She loved to sing. Here’s a clip of her singing, about two short years before she passed. I love this clip because it shows first-hand her spark that always lit up the room. Wait till the end, to see a bit of her spunk!
And here she is when she realized the camera recorded her singing, not just her picture!
Aunt Renie taught me to embrace life. She never wasted a second and made sure every moment counted. She loved fiercely—her family, the holidays, and every good time to be had. It didn’t matter if you agreed with her opinions or not, she loved you anyway. Her laughter could lift even the heaviest hearts. She wasn’t just a part of our gatherings; she was the gathering. Her joy was contagious, her spirit unbreakable, and she radiated a love of life that left us all a little brighter and feeling a bit more loved.
So here’s to Renie, the coolest person you’ve never heard of, until now. May you live with the same “spit and vinegar” as she did, finding the magic in each moment and sharing them all with those you love.
Till Next Time,
Sarah
AKA A Busy Lady
P.S. I’ve got quite a few events coming up for the holidays! Check it out!
P.P.S. Did you read All These Threads of Time or Rebel Writers: The Genius Behind the Pen? If you loved the books, don’t forget to leave a book review. It helps spread the word!
A special shout out to author and book designer, Kelsey Gietl! Thank you for including Rebel Writers: The Genius Behind the Pen in your November Reading List for subscribers! It’s an honor to be featured with these other brilliant writers. I can’t wait to check out their books!
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What a beautiful tribute to Renie! I love that she drank “moxie!”🤣 I think Renie and I would have been friends!