My Tante Erika, what can I say about her. I dont know if there is anything that I can not say about her. She was like the big sister and mother I never had. She was there to listen to me when I needed an ear to speak to and a mother figure when I needed one. My favorite Aunt to visit and talk to by far, since she and I had so much in common growing up. At least when I grew up.

She was born in Berlin, Germany to Adolf Bernhard Richard Böhme and Erna Martha Hedwig Hohenhaus.

I dont know much of her childhood as I never really asked growing up and heard some stories growing up.

I know she lived in the Sodener Strasse of Berlin, Germany while growing up but dont know where else. I know the family was bombed out 4 times ( sotmeimes Ive heard 3 times, 4 times and then 5 times ) I do know that my dad was born in the Derrflinger Strasse, so I dont know if thats where they actually lived as well or if she was actually married and moved out by then. Sounds like a heard of cattle I know, lol I even get that feeling as I read this but I guess it was just like that, so that is how I am writing it. Fact is Fact!!!

I dont know where she went to school or what she did for a living, but I do know that my aunt met my Uncle Bill while working in a Camera shop on the streets of Berlin.

She was working there, he came in and like any man a woman likes ( and falls for ) charms her. He was a british soldier there in Berlin and thats the story of how they met. What happened after that I dont know. I would have loved to hear about there courtship as the Germans didndt really love the British at the time and the british felt the same way about the germans.

All I know is they moved to the UK and had my Uncle Trevor Barlow and that was that.

They lived many places but when I knew them they were living on Waverly Road in the small little town of Harrow right outside of London, UK. What I do remember is that we had great times together, it was really like a vacation and a true bond we had. I would wake up she would make breakfast ( or Tea ) she would have the TELE on with the Morning Show on ITV and we would chit chat about the going ons that I had with school and my non existent social life as my parents were pretty much NOT LETTING ME HAVE ONE and GERMAN CONTROLLING PARENTS true Dominant, Controlling and using Fear and Intimidation to get anything they wanted out of me as a child ( and as an adult ). They never saw it that way and thought it normal to act this way, but when speaking to my Aunt she would always make me feel better and have a talk to my parents and after talking to her they would always back off a little.

This is a photo of my Aunts Best Friend, I dont know how old she is or what her name is but would love have talked to her if she could give me some more information.

My Uncle was an avid golfer and loved to wake up around 3 or 4 am and head over to the golf course before starting his day. After that I would find him in his chair smoking away in front of the Tele or fixing this or that in the garden and then doing the same.

I remember he loved fish and my aunt could not stand the taste and the smell of it. This was a story to go back and forth of how she would never cook it .

Back to my story… so My aunt would make breakfast … she and I loved to do crossword puzzles so we would just spend time together talking doing crosswords and if not that we were watching the latest episode of East Enders and Coronation Street. Since I visited her I became addicted and still watch it to this day! She would tell me what was going on and what I missed while I went home and the things that happened since I had visited her.. and then tell me about her new program she loved with Orlando Bloom called Home and Away so we were two girls …

one grown one a child acting like two little school children … I loved it! She was like the big sister I never had.

I dont remember what I was doing but do remember getting the phone call from my parents. My Aunt had gone in the hospital because she was not feeling well. This is a woman who never went to the doctor or even the hospital in an emergency. She was not feeling well, with flue symptoms and a few days later, She died. ( March 2006 at the age of 79 )