Jean Audrey Dempsey

DEMPSEY--Jean Audrey Emanuel, Known as "Audrey," died of natural causes on January 26 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 97. Audrey Dempsey was born on December 27, 1915 in Quebec, Canada, one of two daughters of the British science-fiction writer, Victor Rousseau Emanuel (author of "Messiah of the Cylinder," among other notable works) and Elva Baker of London. Mrs. Dempsey spent much of her youth in Toronto, where she attended the Bishop Strachan School. In early adulthood, she lived in New York and Greenwich, CT. Mrs. Dempsey was the widow of Rear Admiral James Charles Dempsey, whose exploits as a much-decorated submarine officer in World War II were partially fictionalized in the 1959 movie, "Operation Petticoat," starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. This was based on Lt. Dempsey's evacuation of the last United States personnel to leave Corregidor just before its surrender, including 13 Army and Navy nurses. Significantly, he was also the first United States submarine commander to sink an enemy destroyer, for which he received the Navy Cross. Audrey married Lt. Cmdr. James Dempsey in 1946 in Phoenix, AZ and traveled throughout the world with him during his naval career, including multiple duty stations in the Washington, D.C. area. Admiral Dempsey retired from the United States Navy in May 1970 as Commandant of the Fifth Naval District in Norfolk, VA (1968-70). While in Norfolk, Mrs. Dempsey was President of the English Speaking Union and an active member of the Navy League. She was an avid bridge player and was known for her grace and beauty, as well as being a wonderful cook, who enjoyed entertaining and flower arranging. She took particular pleasure studying the languages where she was posted, most notably Turkish while stationed in Ankara (1964-66). After Admiral Dempsey's retirement, Audrey and her husband lived in Ireland and Spain, before returning to Norfolk in 1975. Once there, Mrs. Dempsey spent much of her time helping young Navy wives whose husbands were deployed overseas, remembering all too well her many years caring for three young children with a husband at sea, minimal funds and a haphazard support system. Following Admiral Dempsey's death in 1979, Mrs. Dempsey stayed in Norfolk until moving to the Washington, D.C. area in the early 1990's. Mrs. Dempsey is survived by two daughters, Jean Dempsey Wolf of Chevy Chase, MD and Susan Dempsey Small of New York, NY, as well as a son, Charles Christopher Dempsey of New York, and stepson, James Stuart Dempsey of Bethesda, MD. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.