Audrey Preisendorf

DENVER, CO and HOULTON, ME – Audrey Lois (Gray) Preisendorf, 87, passed peacefully August 27, 2015, with her family at her side. She was born October 16, 1927, in Pembroke, New Brunswick, Canada, the third of seven children, to Merrill Hudson Gray and Gertrude Elizabeth (Sewell) Gray. Her family moved to Houlton in the 1930's where Audrey attended school, was voted ""Houlton High School Queen,"" and graduated in 1946. In 1951, she married Vernon Preisendorf, of Ft. Morgan, CO. They were blessed with a lovely daughter, Rebecca. Audrey and Vern enjoyed more than sixty three wonderful years together. Audrey retired from the Denver General Hospital where her last position was in HR Administration. She was an active member of the Eastern Star, Masonic Order, Harmony Lodge. She loved traveling and taking long walks. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family and doted on her many nieces and nephews. She was kind, generous, and cared deeply for all of humanity. Audrey loved life. She loved to laugh and to get everyone else laughing. She loved to tell the story of how her father lost Aunt Grace on the long road trip from Houlton to visit Audrey in Denver. Her father didn't realize that Aunt Grace had gone to the restroom while he was refueling in the middle of the night; he unknowingly drove off and left her hundreds of miles from nowhere. On the outskirts of Denver, he reached back to rouse her, but she wasn't there. He stopped, searched under the blankets in the back seat and found only her purse. Frantically, he hunted down a pay-phone, called Audrey and said, ""I've lost Gracie."" Audrey could not stop laughing. (Aunt Grace had phoned Audrey earlier to say, ""I'm still in Kansas! Some nice gentleman is putting me up in a hotel."") Audrey was predeceased by her mother and father, and her wonderful stepmother and aunt, Grace (Sewell) Gray; her siblings Shirley Holmes of Houlton, Joyce Cumming of Phoenix, and Carl Gray of Phoenix. She is survived by her loving husband, Vernon Preisendorf, and sweet daughter, Rebecca Preisendorf, both of Denver; sisters Phyllis (Norman) Hubert of Houlton, JoAnne Murphy of Rockland, and Mary Elizabeth Dobbins of Mattawamkeag; brother-in-law Larry (a/k/a John) Preisendorf of Denver, sister-in-law Mary Lou Woods Gray of Phoenix, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Donations may be made in Audrey's memory to the Alzheimer's Association, at www.alz.org or Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011