Audrey Nilmo Fleuranges

Audrey Nilmo Blenman, wife of the late Humberto Joseph Fleuranges, was born on May 28th, 1921, in Manhattan, New York, to Hettie “Babe” and Fritz Blenman. The middle child of three, Audrey grew up with her older sister Erna and younger brother Percy aka “Billy” in Harlem during the Great Depression.

Growing up during the Harlem Renaissance, she befriended several young ladies: Bea the quiet one; Toi the dancer; and Wanda the fashionista. After grammar school, she attended The Wadleigh High School for Girls, the first public secondary school for girls in New York City. Audrey and her friends never forgot their Barbados heritage, often staging hot sauce eating contests – the hottest often made by her father “the New Haven RR Line Chef.”

Following her graduation from Wadleigh, Audrey briefly attended college before accepting a position as a Phone Operator for AT&T (affectionately known at the time as “Ma Bell”). Audrey’s sense of style permeated everything she touched. Being employed allowed her to take her style to a new level; in fact, her sisters-in-law fondly remember her wearing a fur coat to their house when her future husband brought her home to meet the family.

She met Joe Fleuranges at a dance after being introduced to him by her good friend Wanda Lazarus. The two dated and were married in 1948 before settling in Harlem.

Audrey and Joe welcomed Michele, the first of three children, in 1953. The following year, they moved to Corona, Queens, becoming original shareholders of the Dorie Miller Cooperative, named for Navy hero Dorie Miller, the first African-American awarded the Navy Cross. Michele was later joined by Leslie in 1958 and Paul in 1962. Dorie Miller was a community unto itself with many young African-American families to befriend, creating strong bonds lasting to this day.

Audrey was a doting mother, making sure her children were outfitted with the snazziest threads from her favorite stores – Best & Co., B. Altman’s, and Lord & Taylor. As a member of Hansel & Gretel (an organized “play group” for African American children) she exposed her children to culture and the “finer experiences of life.” Audrey often took her young charges (including relatives and neighbors) on excursions in Queens and Manhattan – the Circle Line, the World’s Fair and the Allied Chemical Building. A lover of Broadway, she frequented Manhattan with her children in tow to see as many shows as she could.

Audrey later returned to the workforce with the Social Security Administration before finding a more fulfilling position with Maternity & Infant Care (MIC); there she assisted young women seeking legal abortions. She was promoted to a role providing sex education courses to NYC public high school students, where she specialized in counseling young and at-risk mothers. Under her guidance, these young women learned parenting and life skills that afforded them the opportunity to raise their children while continuing their studies.

After retiring from MIC, Audrey spent her leisure time attending the theater, reading her beloved New York Times, following national politics, and watching her favorite athletes, Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant (whom she affectionately referred to as “my Kobe”).

Raised an Episcopalian, she attended St. Phillips Church of Harlem. In 2018, at the age of 96 and while living in residence at Ozanam Hall Nursing Home, Audrey converted to Catholicism, embracing the faith of her husband and children.

Audrey is predeceased by her husband Joe and her younger brother “Billy.” She is survived by her three children Michele Fleuranges-Parker, Leslie Fleuranges, Paul Fleuranges and wife Juliana; four grandchildren, Jenifer Parker, Margaux Fleuranges, Julian Fleuranges, Gabriel Fleuranges; her older sister Erna Saunders; and countless nieces and nephews, who will miss her little notes or articles (from the NY Times, of course) which she would mail to them on various subjects she thought they would enjoy reading.