Obituary for Audrey Lynn Howard Audrey L. (Bailey) Howard, 77, of Grand Island, died Monday, July 9, 2018 at CHI Skilled Care. Funeral Services will be on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at 2 p.m., at All Faiths Funeral Home. Dan Naranjo will officiate.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Audrey was born November 20, 1940 to Joseph and Zella (Harris) Bailey, in Imperial, NE.
She was the youngest of six children and the only one who was born in a hospital. The family lived in Chase County until Audrey was around five years old. Then her dad got a job with the Union Pacific Railroad, so they moved to a two room railroad house by Paxton.
Audrey attended Paxton schools, graduating as Salutatorian from Paxton High School in 1959. During high school and after graduation, Audrey worked various jobs. She was united in marriage to John W. Howard on January 28, 1967.
They had one son, Johnny Lynn. Audrey and Johnny moved to Grand Island in 1967. She worked at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant for 10 years before going to work at Norwest Bank.
Audrey was a Personal Banker for 19 years at Norwest, and she won several awards including “Top Personal Banker” in the state. Many of her banking customers became life long friends. In 1997, Audrey suffered a heart attack and stroke, leaving her left side paralyzed and she was unable to work.
Johnny became her sole caretaker for 18 years until the time of his death in March of 2015. A few months after his death, Audrey moved from the beautiful home they’d built at Riverside to Riverside Lodge Retirement Community. Audrey and Johnny loved camping and spent many years traveling to various campgrounds, making new friends wherever they went.
Audrey loved animals, especially the Pomeranians they had throughout the years. Audrey and Johnny loved eating out, and their favorite spot was the Farmer’s Daughter Café, where they visited with anyone and everyone who came in. If you ever went to visit Audrey, you knew you had to have a few hours to spare because she loved company and never wanted you to leave.
When Audrey was in CHI Skilled Care recently with a broken leg, the nurses and aides commented on all the company she had, saying she had more company than all the other patients combined. Audrey was a strong, caring, loving woman, never giving up when life tried to get her down; from losing Johnny Lynn at a young age, to having a stroke 21 years ago at the age of 56, to breaking over 21 bones in her body due to falling, to being diagnosed with cancer in October 2017, she battled through, never complaining, never giving up, and always making sure the rest of us were okay. Audrey had so many people who were near and dear to her heart, so many we can’t name them all here, as first, we’d be here all day, and second, we would be sure to forget someone.
But you all know who you were because she made you feel so special and we are all better people for having known her. We all wish we could have one more… one more laugh, one more tear, one more hug, one more kiss, one more time to hold her hand, one more conversation, one more “I love you”, and one more “I love you more”. We won’t have those, but we will always have the memories of them.
We know Audrey is in a better place, free from pain, and free from the leg brace, the scooter, walkers, and wheelchairs. You can bet she is running… running free! And of course, talking to everyone she sees.
Those left to cherish her memory include sisters, Mona Miller and Celia (Roy) North; and many special nieces, nephews, and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Johnny; son, Johnny Lynn; sisters, Betty Jo Van Vleet, Jennie Syfrett; and brother, Bill Bailey. Memorials are suggested to the CHI Cancer Treatment Center or the donor’s choice.
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