Aunt Audrey

This is a photo of my Aunt Audrey.  She was probably my favorite aunt.  I'm not sure why, but she was very kind, quiet, and soft-spoken.

She was married to my dad's brother Ted.  They had four children - Pattie, Peggy, Phyllis, and Jimmy.  Pat was my age, and when I ran into her at BYU, she wondered what I was doing hanging out with Harry Terrill - he'd been the home teaching companion to their family's home teacher - which they called a Ward Teacher back then.

In 1967, after Harry and I got engaged, I would often stay out here in the San Gabriel Valley instead of having Harry drive all the way back and forth - and his folks didn't have a spare room, so I stayed at Audrey's house.  She was a lovely hostess and always made me feel welcome.

Ted and Audrey were divorced at one point, and Ted actually died at a relatively young age, but Audrey never sounded bitter or unkind.  She seemed to take everything life had to offer her in stride.

My most vivid memory of Audrey is an odd one, but it has stayed with me over the years.  They were out at our house once for some kind of family meal.  Audrey was helping dry the dishes.  I was so intrigued with the way she flipped silverware from the towel in her hand  into the drawer as she dried it.  I kept trying to learn how to do it  myself - it took me a few years, but I eventually mastered the skill!!

I also recall going out to visit their family.  They lived in an upstairs apartment, with a landing.  And they had a back porch with a retractable clothesline.  I remember on the way home saying "Pattie and Peggy are so lucky.  They have stairs and a landing and a clothesline you can pull in."  And my mom saying, "Poor Audrey.  All those stairs and having to put up with Byron (my dad's younger brother)  coming over all the time and having to have her wash out there for all the neighbors to see."  Interesting what a difference perspective - and station in life - have on how we see things! 

Audrey died a few years ago.  Alice and I went to visit her one summer - she had moved to Utah to be near her daughters.  And the next summer my mom and I went to visit.  I'm glad I did.  She was just the same lovely person - it's wonderful when you can count on your favorite aunt!!