Audrey started her distinguished career in nursing at the Saskatoon General Hospital where she obtained her R.N. in 1954. After obtaining her R.N. she went on to pursue advanced training in psychiatric nursing in Montreal. Thereafter, she moved to Florida and worked in surgery and emergency medicine. From Florida, she returned to Calgary and worked at both the Calgary General Hospital and Holy Cross and furthered her experience in surgery, emergency medicine and in maternity. From Calgary, she went on to nurse in Washington State and Minnesota where she continued working as she started her family. Following her return to Calgary, she took a brief break to raise her kids and then went back to her practice with stints nursing at the Calgary Remand Centre and Baker Centre before she took on the challenge of running a busy clinic O.R. for at Cambrian Medical Clinic for Drs. Naylor, Allen, Spence, Foss and Lai. Once Audrey’s children were grown, she was ready for new challenges and her extensive and diverse nursing experience made her an ideal recruit for the federal government’s outpost nursing program in remote northern Indigenous communities in Alberta. During her tenure as an outpost nurse at locations including Fox Lake, Fort Chipewyan and High Level, Audrey pursued her advanced Nurse Practitioner designation through a program sponsored by the federal government through McMaster University, UBC and Dalhousie University. She took great joy in delivering dozens if not hundreds of babies for the communities she supported and loved learning about the cultures of the communities she worked and lived in.
During her career, Audrey had many opportunities to move into supervisory or management roles but always turned them down as her first love was in providing hands on patient care. She was greatly respected by the physicians she supported and was greatly missed once she was retired.
Audrey was a devoted mother and grandmother and loved nothing more than playing cards, going shopping, and taking any willing person to garage sales. She loved spending time with family. She loved a good debate and offered her opinion liberally or conservatively depending on the issue.
Audrey loved music and animals and was strong in her faith. Audrey had an unstoppable work ethic and between her career and maintaining a home she rarely took time for herself. She had a love for fashion demonstrated early on with her mustard yellow hot pants, white gogo boots and chic afro hairstyle. She loved to keep current with fashion trends and took great pride in rocking current styles even well into her eighties. Her morning ritual was loveable as she could not be without her war paint which consisted of precise mascara and lipstick application even in her hospital bed.
Audrey is survived by her children Jason (Deb), Stephanie and Jennifer (Stuart); grandchildren Calie, Kristen, Taryn, Tristan, Ben, Tegan and Ethan; and great grandchildren Nate and Graylynn, and her extended family.
A family celebration is happening at a later date. If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made directly to the Calgary Humane Society (https://www.calgaryhumane.ca/donate/).
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