On her ninetieth birthday, Audrey Shirts passed away peacefully of natural causes.
She was a character of intelligence, creativity and insight, with a strength of will and code of ethics that often surprised even those that knew her well. She nurtured and encouraged her children to find their path in life, and she instilled in them a desire to seek their own creativity and to serve the community.
Audrey seemed to view supporting her family and the surrounding community as one of the greater purposes in life. She perceived and accepted people for who they were and took great pleasure in learning to know them and watching their lives unfold. This remarkably ability extended to strangers or casual acquaintances, and was the reason the residence home caregivers – who in Audrey's last years were a large part of her daily routine – loved her.
For most of her life, Audrey was plagued by incessant migraines. As a young adult, she was able nevertheless to maintain an active social life, raise her three kids, perform in plays, work in community affairs such as Girl Scouts, attend reading groups and volunteer for AIDS support groups.
In her thirties and forties, many may not even have noticed her struggle with headaches. But as she grew older, the struggle was often tiring. Time and again she was forced to withdraw from active social life.
But she never grew bitter and managed to, even in the greatest of pain, take the effort to acknowledge, respect and take pleasure in her fellow human beings, in the beauty of nature and in small daily happinesses.
The loss of her husband Gordon about fourteen years ago and then, two years ago, the loss of her son Claude were great and unexpected blows. Nevertheless, it was remarkable how she dealt with her great sorrow; she didn't let it diminish her attention to others.
Audrey frequently told her children something to the effect of, “I have a good life. When I start to get discouraged, I think of how so many others in this world have so much more tragedy to bear, and I realize how privileged I am. I have a roof over my head, food to eat … and I am loved.”
She leaves behind a legacy of good will.