Remembering Audrey

One of our residents, Audrey Ward, passed away Sunday, May 9, 2021. She moved into Franklin Carriage House back in October 2020, a few days before Halloween. Audrey immediately became a point of light for both residents and staff.

Alison, one of our universal workers, wrote this remembrance of her.

Audrey Ward.

Wherever she was you would find a cluster of people. We were drawn to her. She was welcoming and warm and caustic and funny.

I’d bring her breakfast, open the door and she’d say “Boo!” Most mornings, anyway.

She’d meet up with my husband Ethan – Saturday cook and assistant manger – and me on Saturday mornings in the kitchen. She’d sit at the counter, drink coffee, and we’d chat - she was easy to open up to, easy to converse with.

She loved Scrabble. I heard this, so I started practicing on my phone at home. After a few weeks, I nervously asked her if she wanted to play. And it became our weekly thing. I am competitive in an unserious way, so it was great fun to play her. Then she got another resident, Sandra, to learn to play. They would get together at night and play game after game, becoming close friends in the process.

And she loved to tease. Ethan became Mr. Pickles. I don’t even know how that started, but it was hilarious. Walk by the front room, and if she was there, so were a few more people, calling out to Mr. Pickles.

She brought us out of the long isolation of COVID. The world felt lighter and brighter.

But there was a sad side to her, and as her ability to get around diminished, so did her light. Eventually she had to seek help elsewhere, and when she left, our worlds got a little more somber. We hoped she would come back before too long.

A couple weeks ago, she had surgery to mend her failing spine. And she never recovered.

We will miss her wit, her open door, and the ease with which she loved us all.

Rest easy, Audrey. You deserve peace.