Audrey Arnaud Townsend

Audrey Arnaud Townsend

December 25, 1925 – February 9, 2017

AUDREY ARNAUD TOWNSEND, 91, born December 25, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana, passed away peacefully from this life on February 9, 2017 in Plano, Texas.

Audrey was married for 16 years to James E. Townsend, Sr. and had two children, James E. Townsend, Jr. and Barbara Jean Townsend. She attended St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans and then worked for several years in the business offices at Texaco in New Orleans and other large global corporations.

Audrey had a passion for her family, raising her children, and her Catholic Faith. She was one of the founding members of the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in the NASA Houston area.

Audrey is preceded in death by her parents Adrian Arnaud and Hazel Peters Arnaud, her sisters Muriel Harrison, Sylvia Gaffney, her brother Warren Arnaud, her son James E. Townsend, Jr., and the father of her children James E. Townsend, Sr.

She will be greatly missed by her daughter, Barbara Jean Townsend.

A Visitation will be held at Forest Park East Funeral Home in Webster, Texas on Saturday, February 18, 2017, starting at 11:30am followed by a Holy Rosary, Catholic Liturgy of the Word Service, and Graveside Blessings.

BIOGRAPHY

AUDREY ARNAUD TOWNSEND was born December 25, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her parents were Adrian Arnaud and Hazel Peters Arnaud. She had two sisters, Muriel Harrison and Sylvia Gaffney, and one brother Warren Arnaud.

Audrey was born into a devout Catholic Family so received the Catholic sacraments including Baptism and Holy Communion. She attended St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans and then worked for several years in the business offices at Texaco in New Orleans and other large global corporations.

On April 9,1953, my Mother, her Mother, and her Sewing Circle Friends set sail from New York for a European Trip. She visited many countries including Italy, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Scotland, and England. My Mother was lucky to be in London, England on June 2, 1953, for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

Audrey was married to James E. Townsend, Sr. on October 16, 1954 at the church of Saint Pius X in New Orleans, Louisiana. She had two children, James E. Townsend, Jr. and Barbara Jean Townsend. They were divorced in 1973, but remained friends, especially after the death of their son in1995.

Sundays were holy days for the family as evidenced by having a formal dinner with china plates, crystal glasses, and silverware, and dining together as a family, always dressed formally as we just attended Sunday Mass.

Audrey had a passion for her family raising her two children. She also was passionate about her Catholic Faith. Audrey was one of the founding members of the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in the NASA Houston area when the church was first opened to support the people moving into the area to work at the opening of NASA in Houston.

91 years sees a lot of changes in the world from the flapper dress for the Charleston dance, first issue of the New Yorker magazine, and the publishing of The Great Gatsby in 1925, to the high-tech transportation, technology, and communication world we live in today.

My Mother humbled me with our quiet visits involving just her and I, enjoying a bag of cookies and milk while we were having a great conversation or listening to Show Tunes or Romantic Piano Music which she loved. There are so many external stresses in this world these days, it was always calming to visit my Mother and enjoy what really matters, my Family.