Audrey S. Mathews

Audrey was born on May 6, 1931 in Maple Lake, MN. She spent her early years on a small family farm where life was challenging. But she also had fond memories of riding her horse to school and walking miles over frozen roads with the snow squeaking underfoot. After graduating high school Audrey attended college at St. Cloud State for a short time. She then left Minnesota for New York City. The feistiness which characterized Audrey’s outsized personality suited her well in the big city.

After a number of years in New York City working in advertising, Audrey headed back to Minnesota. While working as the secretary of the chemistry department of the University of Minnesota, she fell in with a group of doctoral students which included Scott Mathews. In time, Scott and Audrey dated and got married. They moved to Boston for Scott’s post-doctoral research at MIT. After an overseas stint at Cambridge University in the UK where Scott completed a second post-doctoral fellowship, they settled in University City, MO. Scott assumed an academic position at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. Audrey managed the household with their children Laura, Allison, and Adam. Audrey was very active in civic affairs and did volunteer work for the League of Women Voters, the local food co-op and the St. Louis Herb Society among others. She also founded and managed the AM Tea and Coffee Company, which became was a well-known coffee shop in the U. City Loop.

Scott’s career took him to overseas positions including assignments in France and Italy. Audrey took to the cultures and expanded her culinary interests and skills. Throughout her life, Audrey went all out to prepare and serve interesting meals for friends and family. She was known for her wit and opinionated conversations about almost anything. Audrey also enjoyed traveling and visiting with an extensive network of friends in St. Louis, other parts of the US and overseas. Trips to the opera in Chicago, the Stratford theatre festival in Ontario, bike and barge trips in Europe and beach vacations in Hawaii were among her favored travel experiences.

Along the way, Audrey’s love of life and determination served her well. She overcame a debilitating brain aneurism, learning to walk, write and read again. She is also known for her love of driving, which she applied to her electric scooter maneuvers down the aisles of stores that she enjoyed visiting in her later years.

Audrey was preceded in death by George and Doris (Garman) Sykora and by her brother George “Burt” Sykora. She is survived by her husband Scott; daughters Laura Mathews (Harriet Guthertz) and Allison Mathews (Mike Battcock); son Adam Mathews, and her half-sister Diane Clarke. She is also survived by three grandchildren: Sylvia, Gabriel and David; and a large and varied network of friends extending from St. Louis, across the country and overseas.

Audrey and her family are grateful to the people who provided excellent care over the years, to include her family physician, Dr. Stanley Vriezelaar, and personal care managers, Bethany, Sami, Zahra and Monda.

According to her wishes, Audrey will be cremated. Kriegshauser Mortuary West is handling the arrangements. (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/missouri/st-louis/kriegshauser-mortuary-west-chapel/2390?utm_source=google_my_business&utm_medium=organic). Memorials may be directed to a charity of choice or to the St. Louis Herb Society.

She also loved flowers, which would be appreciated. A celebration of life will be held next May in St. Louis