My precious Aunt Audrey

Remembering my precious Aunt Audrey Carson Brower who was born on August 24, 1935, and went home to be with Jesus on May 17, 2022. These are my memories I shared at her homegoing service: “I loved listening to Audrey tell the story of the first time she saw me in 1953. My parents, Eston and Frances Willis, had adopted me from Jacksonville when I was about four months old. Audrey said they brought me to Indian Rocks Beach where they were chaperoning Audrey and some of her high school friends on a beach trip. Audrey described how my big brown eyes were wide open, looking around, and checking everybody out. She shared with me that when she was a young schoolgirl from 1945-1955, she loved spending time with my mom and dad, because they always took her out to eat, and to interesting places. I also remember seeing an old 8mm movie of Audrey and Clayton’s wedding reception in 1955 in which they captured me at the age of two, lifting the tablecloth and coming out from under the table which held their wedding cake. Audrey always made me feel so loved. As the years rolled on and my family moved from Lakeland to Sebring and back to Lakeland, Audrey always made a point of staying in touch and visiting us wherever we lived. Even in my mother’s last three difficult years, Audrey, Patti Ann, and Meredith would come to visit her regularly.

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When she came to our home for a visit, my mom and dad would always ask her to play their favorite hymns on our piano, because she played the piano so beautifully and effortlessly! She came to our home in Sebring and played our piano for our wedding in 1973. A few years ago, after Audrey fractured her leg, when she was in physical therapy, they asked how she had such strong upper body strength to do the physical therapy exercises. They asked her, “Do you work out?” She thought about it for a minute, and then she replied, “No, but I do play the piano a lot!” They agreed that was where her upper body strength had come from.

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Last year around Mother’s Day, Audrey sent me the following text and asked me to forward it for her to all our family members regarding her sister, Wilma Lee. Audrey wrote, “I can’t remember the exact date on the calendar, but on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, late in the evening I received a phone call from Ann, Robin, and Laura. They were at hospital in Lakeland and said their mom Lee was there with a heart attack. Clayton and I immediately went there to learn that she had passed away. They were heartbroken as I was also. I just wanted you all to remember her today. She died the day before Mother’s Day and no one I know loved their children more than Lee did. My Dad would say, “Here comes Lola with her kittens,” because they were all with her every time she came. We could all remember certain things about her, but I remember many things. She was an excellent cook. I don’t care where she lived, her house always was in order and looked good. She took what she had and decorated to perfection. She should have been a designer, as she would draw clothes for my paper dolls that were absolutely beautiful. She bought material that her seamstress would make her clothes with, and how beautiful they were! I could never do that, mine always still looked homemade, but not hers! But I guess she ended up doing what she did best. Using her voice. She sang beautifully. Always singing the soprano solos in our Easter and Christmas musicals at church and always singing solos at various times. And she answered all those phone calls at her job. She had a golden voice. I loved Lee. She would call me to see how I was doing. I looked up after surgery and she was by my side. She called me the next day after our mother died to ask if I needed any money. She was thoughtful and kind. She had many hardships early in life, but she overcame them, and today I know where she is. She blessed my life! She had many friends. She loved her family. She instilled in her children, Mike, Ann, Laura, and Robin, that love was the greatest, and you will not find any siblings who love anymore and stick together any more than hers. And isn’t that what the Bible teaches us? The greatest is love because, God is Love. God’s command for us is to Love God with all we have and to love one other as we love ourselves. I miss you, Lee.”

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In closing, when I think of our precious Audrey, the scripture which comes to my mind is First Corinthians Chapter Thirteen, sometimes called “the love chapter.” As I share a portion of this Chapter with you, remembering our precious Audrey, and how she truly personified what unconditional love looks like, you will notice that I have changed some of the words. I believe she would be pleased to know she left this impression on us all…

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Audrey was patient, she was kind. Audrey did not envy, she did not boast, she was not proud. Audrey was not rude, she was not self-seeking, she was not easily angered, and she kept no record of wrongs. Audrey did not delight in evil but rejoiced with the truth. She always protected, always trusted, always hoped, always persevered. Love never fails . . . For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now we know in part, but then we will know fully, just as we have been fully known. But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

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We know our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is close to the broken-hearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit, He is surely so close to us all here today. This Scripture prayer from Psalm 139 expresses so well the Truth we all know and believe…

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Thank You, our gracious and sovereign God, that You have been with us and carried us from the day of our birth until today…that You have known our whole lives, from beginning to end, since before we were born… and that You wrote in Your book all the days that You ordained for us before one of them came to be. We choose to look beyond our past and present troubles in this life – this temporary life – and fix our eyes on the unseen things that will last forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.