Audrey Brewster Downie, formerly of Weatogue Road in Ashley Falls, passed away on April 3, 2016 at Geer Nursing Home in Canaan, Conn.
Audrey was born in Coleraine, Londonderry, Northern Ireland on August 20, 1928 to Sarah Copeland and Woodburn Brewster. Her family came to America when she was 10 years old and settled in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. She attended local schools there and graduated from A.B. Davis High School in 1946. Audrey worked for the N.Y. Telephone Company before moving to the Berkshires in 1955. While living here she worked in secretarial and bookkeeping positions in local banks. She was also the receptionist for Dr. William J. Barnes, and for CEVAL, a non-profit organization formed to study the feasibility of hydro-electric pumped storage in Sheffield. She was also an assistant to the Sheffield Tax Collector for 10 years.
Audrey participated in various volunteer efforts: she was secretary for Friends of Bartholomew’s Cobble for 10 years; a charter member of Berkshire County Christian Business & Professional Women where she also served on the board for 11 years; and for 13 years she was the Western Massachusetts coordinator for Prison Fellowship Angel Tree, which provided Christmas gifts for inmates’ children. The main focus of Audrey’s life was serving Christ, leading women’s Bible studies, conducting workshops for women’s retreats at Hephzibah Heights in Monterey and New York, and speaking engagements in various locations. Audrey also ministered to the residents of Geer Nursing & Rehab in Canaan for several years with Bible lessons and music.
Besides her loving husband, John, whom she married on July 20, 1963, Audrey is survived by her three sons: Bruce Tichenor and his wife, Dianna, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Carl Tichenor and his wife, Mary Lou, of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Ed Tichenor of Lakeland, Fla. She also leaves her beloved grandsons: Eric Tichenor and his wife, Alisha, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Noel and Ryan Tichenor of Glen Head, N.Y.; and Seth Tichenor of Hartford, Conn.; as well as great-grandchildren Ella, Arwen, and Abraham of Grand Rapids, Mich. Audrey also leaves her brother, Woody Brewster, and his wife, Evelyn, of Ormond Beach, Fla., and her sister, Nancy Daley, in England.
Calling hours for the late Audrey B. Downie will be held on Friday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.. at the FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main Street, Gt. Barrington, Mass. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 16th at Greenwoods Community Church in Ashley Falls, Mass., at 11 a.m. Memorial donations may be made to the Greenwoods Community Church Mission Fund in care of FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230. To send remembrances to her family or sign the guestbook please go to www.finnertyandstevens.com
