Families in Our Care

Dear Cynthia, Nancy, Grant and Andrea, I want to offer my sincere condolences on the loss of your Mom. I got to know Audrey at the Glebe Centre. Audrey was well known to everyone…each afternoon, sitting in the lobby “getting her fresh air” as the doors opened and closed, she said hello and chatted with all who crossed the threshold. I would almost always stop for a chat with Audrey in the lobby after my weekly volunteer shift. We’d talk about what it was like for Audrey growing up in Ottawa during the depression, we’d talk about the war and rationing and victory gardens and dancing, we’d talk about the loss of her dad and her childhood visits to her grandparents who loved to show her off to their friends, we talked about religion and babies, about sewing costumes for your ice skating shows when you were young, and her time working for the senate and on the Hill and how Joe Clark was “tops”. Last year Audrey gave me permission to record her telling her stories. I put them on a cd. I do hope you received it from the Glebe Centre. Audrey’s faith meant that she knew where she was going when it was her time to leave us. We spoke about it sometimes. She knew her dad would be waiting for her and took great comfort in John 14:2-3. I will hold all my memories of Audrey dear and when I think of her, I will see a young Audrey running into her dad’s open arms. He’ll say “Audrey my girl, what took you so long”, her grandparents will say “ look everyone! It’s Basil’s girl!”, and Audrey will say “my name is AUDREY!”. She will be missed. My thoughts are with you during this sad time.