Family & Friends Memories
~These are comments and memories of Aimee's relatives and friends~
PLEASE, if you knew Aimee, send your Memories of her to me at marmac34@webtv.net
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Aimee was helping this reporter do a report on Slum Landlords in our local area for a local TV Station.
April 3,2000
Thank you very much for your e-mail, a while back, informing us of Aimee Jo Setera's terrible accident.
Please accept my sympathy for your tremendous loss, and my apologies for taking so long to respond. I regret the lengthy silence.
Although I only knew Aimee a short time, your granddaughter was blessed with a passionate desire to put principal above compromise, and was tireless in her efforts to find justice, even for complete strangers. It was truly a pleasure to have known her.
Thanks again for reaching out to us. I pray that fond memories of Aimee's wonderful, magnetic personality, and burning desire to help the less fortunate will help fill the tremendous void left my her tragic, untimely passing.
Sincerely, A.V., News 4 Consumer Reporter.
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From Kathy: I believe that the only time I met Aimee was at Aunt Roberta's house around the time of Grandma's funeral. She had the hair cut that her mother didn't approve too much of, but she was a very friendly girl, full of energy and sounding like she knew what she wanted in life.
Kathy is Aimee's Mom's cousin. About a week before Aimee's Gr Gramma passed away, Aimee shaved her hair off. Needless to say, there were MANY comments and laughs.
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This is one of my many Memories of my Grand daughter ~
Thanksgiving was a favorite of Aimee's ~
coming to Gramma's, along with rest of her family.
We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, [Aimee always had to have corn], her Mom's baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows. Of course there was, Gramma's Fruit Cake, Indian Pudding and Suet Pudding,[recipes handed down for 4 generations]. Mince, Pumpkin Pies.
Aimee had planned on helping me [Gramma] with the preparation this year, as she wanted to learn how to prepare the 'Family Traditions' so she could make it 5 generations of preparing them.
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From an E-mail friend;
Hi Mary.
I just wanted to praise you and tell you that you have done such a wonderful job in Aimee's memory. You have shown your forever love and the special bond you both shared, and the heart felt warmth for your beautiful granddaughter. So very touching and heart felt in every word, poem and song you have put together for her. God Bless you dear friend. You have proved to be one of the most wonderful Grandmother's who has ever walked the face of this earth. I loved each and every part of your page. As you know of my son Michael's death. Each and every story and poem you share has touched me in so many different ways...so warm...so filled with love. Take care my dear friend. May God always watch over and Bless you and yours.
Love you
ginger
Thank You Gin
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Aimee Jo Meadows Setera-born October 14, 1979 Died-January 29, 2000 Girl, you made my New Years 2000 special. Even with our differences, I will never forget you. Take care of Scott, your mom and your brothers. They need the help. May they achiever the enlightenment and peace they need. I know you are happy that Julie named her new baby girl after you. Aimee Jo Brown, born December 4, 2000...may she live long and prosper. Allison <
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I have copied his from my Guestbook
You couldnt have said it any better about Aimee. She was a very wonderfull, full of life. Infact, out of all the friends I have ever had, she was my Best Friend, the only one I never had even the smallest argument with, and the only one I regret losing contact with for 2 1/2 years. I miss her so very much, and know that she will always be with you. I have named my daughter after her, partly because of the last conversation I had with her at my home on the 29th of January, and partly because of the wonderful impact she made on my life. I thought there would be no better way for me to show her, than to give her a name sake. Aimee Jo Brown was born on Dec 4, 2000. One day when she is older, I will tell her what a wonderfull person Aimee was, and how much we ALL loved her. Loved, and sadly missed by,
Julie
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Jan. 14, 2003
This is the same Julie as above^
This is the hardest message I've had to add and the one I've been waiting 3 years to receive. I didn't know how to get a hold of Julie or any of Aimee's friends. I'd like to get pictures of all of them, to put on this site. I knew it was the last place Aimee & Andrew had been before her untimely death. When Aimee left Julie's, she was stopping at her step-sisters, then coming to see me (Gramma).
Thank You for writing, Julie
Mary,
Hi, this is Julie. One of my favorites of ALL the many memories that I have with Aimee. She and I decided to be part of the Cassadaga Valley Tallent show one year, and we decided on a dance routine. We both dressed in Purple shirts and Black pants and she came up with a dance to Paula Abdules Rock House. LOL... We practiced, and practiced, and finally got it right, and then left my house for the school. We got there, and we were sooooo nervous about getting on that stage, infront of everyone, and letting it all go. We finally got our chance, got on that stage and when the music started we both froze. We werent sure what to do, and then we got started with it. I think we missed a few beats, and messed up a few times, but we eventually got finished with what seemed like an hr. We both ran off stage, crying because of being embarrassed, and crying from laughing... We both vowed NEVER to forget that we did that together.
My best memory, my most vivid was from the day she arrived at my house after 3 years of not seeing the other. She called me, asked if I was going to be home, I said yes, she said good and hung up the phone. She arrived about half hr later with Andrew, with boxes of pictures from her wedding. We talked about all the things that we missed out on, she played with my son, and we hugged and cried alot. I gave her an elephant, and she looked at me and said,"Just like having a new Best Friends charm isnt it." That day was Jan 29th, 2000.
(I didnt add this to make anyone sad, but it has been kind of hanging on me since then, and I havent talked about it to very many people. I am very glad I got to spend those last few hrs with her. Alot of what we talked about is between us, but there were some very intresting things she did say.
It is my Best memory of Aimee Jo, always will be.)
Love,
Julie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1-19-03-
Allison lived a couple house up the street from Aimee.
I have one thing for you to add to your page if you would like. It includes the question I have to ask you.
Julie and I are a part of a Yahoo group about crochet (aptly called CrochetList). Every month, from January to October, we have a Crochet A Thon (CAT), which lasts 24 hours. We have Challenges, where people pledge a certain amount of things for a specific charity (for example, hats for day cares or people on a particular reservation, or squares for afghans to make for particular organizations, which was this month's pledges). Also, every hour the host for that hour picks a person out of the room (who has not already won and is eligible) to win a CAT PAC donated by another member of the list---basically, a box of things, some crochet related, sort of like a Door Prize. This month, 2 of the hours were "In honor of" CAT PACs. I decided, since I wanted to honor Aimee, that I would donate one. I got the last hour. Now that I think about it, I probably should have invited you to come into the chat room to participate---but it's in a mIRC chat room, and I don't know how to get you in through webtv. I'm know there is a way, but I'm not that technically computer smart, so I would have been no help at all! Also, I was so busy trying to figure out what I was going to put in the PAC, it slipped my mind. (I blush in embarrassment over that)
That's not the last of it. While brainstorming to come up with one of the 3-5 crochet related items, I came upon the idea to make a bookmark. I can't think of many bookmarks that I have seen that you can put someone's initials into, so I figured "why not come up with my own?" And that is exactly what I did. So, my main question to you is, what was Aimee's favorite color? I've asked Julie, and she said she thinks it's pink, but she's not completely sure (that would actually be ironic, because I swear the artist Pink makes me think of Aimee! Julie too, I've mentioned it to her before.), but to ask you or Denise. The one I send to the person who is receiving the CAT PAC I want to be in her favorite color. I also want to give you and Denise a bookmark of the pattern. After I have sent out the bookmark and given each of you one, I will be posting the pattern on my site. I call it the "Dear Friends Bookmark." On my second try, this bookmark is coming out beautifully!
Also, so far the two other crochet related things I have come up with are a small stuffed elephant, since she liked them, and some yarn. I'm going to include a letter explaining about Aimee and her life--- since it sort of explains why I am donating it. The main reason Julie voiced to me why she doesn't want me to put it in is because she has felt some guilt over the fact that it was her house that she was at last. I have to feel some residual guilt as well, as I'm the one who gave Aimee the number so she could call Julie and say "I'm coming out," but it's certainly nothing like how I know Julie feels. And I personally know just how awful she feels, and has felt since that day. I'm one of the only people who was in the house when Julie found out. We had gone out to Julie's mom's house to bring out the Christmas presents for her daughter, Katie, and had gone out to get some wood for Julie's mom. Before we left, my mom had called to let us know Aimee had been in an accident. My mom wasn't totally sure if she was dead---my sister had already started working at Shurfine then, and had heard about it that way. My mom wasn't sure if her death was just a rumor attatched to the news or not, so she wanted to wait until she was sure which way it went. Well, she found out while we were out getting the wood. Julie's mom told me to call my mom, and then took Julie off into the next room to tell her. I keep pausing while I'm writing this, because the sound that came out of Julie's mouth---out of her whole being---I can still hear it in my head, even 3 years later, and it still brings me to tears. I can honestly say I was more worried about how Julie felt at that moment, than about anything else, cause I knew she would be heartbroken. I certainly have done my own bit of crying many times since then, but when Julie says she was her best and dearest friend, I can attest to it (not that I think anyone would doubt her. I have to say people have doubted my feelings as a friend for Julie. I think the pain I feel because of that sound says a whole lot as to my own friendship with Julie.). I also made a special point of making sure to get Julie to the funeral home for Aimee's viewing. That's why I drove back and forth to Jamestown in the driving snow! I never drive all the way out there in that weather anymore, but I had no problems doing it that day.
Personally, I had really hoped to restart a friendship with Aimee myself. I can't tell you how much I really enjoyed the three of us going over to her and Scott's apartment that New Years. We sang along with "If I had a Million dollars" on the way back from our apartment to pick up our vcr (they didn't have one, but they had a movie I wanted to watch, so she and I ran and got it,) and every time I hear that New York Lottery commercial, I think of that. It brings a smile to my face, cause that night was just fun :-) I also think of her when I hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, because of an earlier incident at the house on High St.
I will be sure to put up a link to your site from my own. I haven't worked on it much in the last month, but I will before school starts on Thursday, so I can make a place for the pattern for the bookmark. If it's not too much to ask, do you think you can help me with a couple more small things that I can put in the CAT PAC? I've got a "Cross in my pocket" that I'll probably add as representation of her faith, but I'm at a loss for what else to put besides the things I've already listed, and a letter.
Oh, also, I've been bouncing an idea for a pattern for a 12" square in her honor around in my head. I'm part of another organization called HeartMade Blessings, and I wanted to have a square in Aimee's honor put up on our site (http://www.heartmadeblessings.org). I really wish I had known about the group then (it was in a different form in 2000), because I definitely would have requested one for everyone. But, alas, I didn't decide to go to college until March of 2000, so my intense activity on the web didn't start until that October! I think she'd be really proud of the fact that I'm going to college.
I'm not completely sure why I started on the tangent about the day Aimee died, but you now have a small glimpse into that house that day, one that I'm sure Julie could tell you something about, but you get a different view of. Also, if you want to post this email in parts on your site, I'd have no problem with that, but it's totally up to you. :-)
What I found a bit cool is that Al Vauders sent you that email. (Putting A.V. doesn't hide it enough for people who are aware of the local news personalities ;-)) Aimee really is the kind of person who maked an impression on everyone that met her!
Allison Lawson in Fredonia, NY
Wife, mother, aspiring author, college student HMB Assembler
WNY_Crocheters Co-Owner
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I'll be adding more as I receive them.
I have added a new dreambook. Please, sign it.
I am adding Aimee's Mother's Guestbook. Please, sign it also. Thank You
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