My great aunt Truby passed away on Wednesday night. She was very old and had been sick for quite some time. And while this was a very sad happening, my great aunt Truby was truly someone to be celebrated for her pleasant demeanor and sassy sense of style (with a name like Truby, you've gotta' be sassy).

You see, my great aunt Truby was someone I spent a great deal of time with until I was around six years old. She was a complete firecracker—always sporting sassy red lipstick, driving a cute little car and wearing completely accessorized outfits. She was the epitome of a sassy lady. She was always bubbly, always entertaining and always (always) put together.

In fact, aunt Truby gave me my very first pair of heels. She could be credited as the one who started it all. She wore a very small size shoe (I believe a size five), which means that around fifth grade she started giving me her hand-me-down heels to play around in. It was around that time when I realized flat shoes were so not my thing.

She liked shopping and took me on several trips “to town” with her when I was a child. On one of those trips she accidentally locked me in the backseat of her car and frantically ran up and down the street telling people she’d locked a child in the car. One cool, calm and collected man simply looked at her and asked, “Did you ask the child to open the door?” Within seconds, I had flipped the switch and saved the day.

On another occasion, we went on a picnic and she ended up running over a stump that marked a parking spot in a park (probably because she was checking out her make-up in the mirror). That stump stayed knocked over for years after that. She wasn’t the best driver…and I guess that rubbed off on me, too.

I got to see my great aunt Truby last summer. She was very ill and barely recognized me. But she did one thing I’ll never forget. Lying in her hospital bed, barely able to move or speak, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a tube of lipstick and proceeded to apply it. What can I say? She taught me everything I know.

So this weekend, I’ll be lifting a nice, cold glass of Tang to my great aunt Truby (who always had Tang). After all, I think she’s one of the people who taught me what it was like to have your own individual style and to carry yourself with grace, elegance and class no matter what the world throws your way. But most importantly, aunt Truby taught me never to leave home without lipstick.