Audrey’s Obituary Our beautiful, caring, and loving Audrey Theresa Jehning passed away peacefully on Monday, January 28, 2019. Her children and friends were by her side. What she loved most in life is having her family and friends at her home.
She was an uplifting person that looked for the best in others. She is survived by six children- Cindy, Bruce, Dale, Leslie, Kurt and Neil along with seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She loved the honor of being a mom, grandma and great grandma.
Audrey was born in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1949 she graduated from West High School in Cleveland. She was a national honor student.
After graduation, Audrey, her mom Elizabeth Ella and her dad Barney Martin Dragony moved to Redwood City, CA. Audrey graduated from San Mateo Junior College and University of California- San Francisco in 1953 with a Bachelor’s Degree- Science in Nursing. While in college she met her soon to be husband, Albert Robert Jehning- who was in the Navy amphibious base in San Diego, CA.
Due to a random phone call- the two met and dated. They fell in love quickly. They were married on May 16, 1953 at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redwood City, CA.
The couple lived in San Francisco for two years while Audrey worked as a Registered Nurse. Two of their six children were born in San Francisco. They moved to their final home in Mountain View, CA in November 1956.
Due to the land being a former orchard- the yard had 13 prune trees, a lemon tree and later planted a peach tree and a cherry tree. Along came four more children and all eight people lived in the three-bedroom, two bath house on a cul-de-sac. There were life-long friendships made at this cozy court.
Audrey worked as a Registered Nurse Pediatrics at El Camino Hospital from 1961 until 1972. In 1972 Audrey and Al bought a family owned locksmith business in downtown Mountain View. After retiring from there, in 1982- Audrey opened “Gourmet Galley” in Sunnyvale.
She got up at 5 a.m. each morning to prepare all the food from scratch. She was famous for her homemade soup and ‘knots’ which were rolls that were twisted individually to look like a knot. Off to her next adventure- back to school where she studied Music at Hayward State (now Cal State East Bay).
She was an accomplished singer- a soprano. She sang with Schola Cantorum at De Anza Community College. She also played the piano, the organ and played bells at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto.
Audrey and Al loved to play tennis and to watch tennis. Together at Cuesta Park they played mixed doubles against her brother Barney Dragony and his wife Carol for about twenty-five years. She took a liking to morning water exercise classes- at Eagle or Rengstorf pool.
She was part of the Eagle Park Bathing Beauties: Annie, Betty, Catherine, Cherril, Dona, Doris, Esther, Erma, Eva, Fran, Jackie, Jean, Joy, Judy, Liana, Margaret, Marybeth, Pauline, Peggy, Roxanne, Sachi, Shirley, Sussane, Valda, Vickie, Wilma AND Louis. This was a terrific group of friends that socialized in and out of the pool. Friends forever!
! ! She taught piano lessons to people young and old.
For years she volunteered to take blood pressure readings at Avenidas Adult Day Health Program in Palo Alto. During after school hours at local grade schools she helped students with English by reading to them and having them read to her. Audrey loved to read.
Once she started a good book- she could not put it down. She loved the beach. They were lucky to own a condo at Pajaro Dunes for several years.
Sitting in the chair facing the picture window that looked out on to the ocean was a favorite place for relaxation. With their children they camped and drove across the country to visit family in Ohio and Connecticut. Audrey and Al traveled to: Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.
They took a cruise to Hawaii with Sandy and Oded and to Alaska with Dot and Andy. Audrey loved to cook. Birthday cakes made to look like animals when her children were young and then later- seven-layer chocolate cake and delicious peach cobbler made with the peaches from the tree in the yard- with ice cream.
With such a great ‘party’ house she loved to have everyone over for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and wedding receptions. These events included great food and games- such as Pictionary, UNO, Scrabble and thanks to a pool in the backyard- summer months especially made this the place to be. For years Audrey and Al hosted an annual party and pot luck for the water exercise friends.
Like her mother, Audrey was a great seamstress. She used to sew jackets for her sons and dresses for her daughters. She also knit sweaters, vests and tiny outfits for her daughter’s dolls.
She loved to garden. She planted vegetables including tomatoes and lettuce. She loved her gardenias and roses- just like her dad loved his roses!
Bringing their own brand of kindness to Audrey: Sandy- her best friend of 68 years- a loyal sister- friend; her children; Kathy- fellow nurse; Louis- bringing flowers weekly; Debbie- thoughtfully sending weekly cards with quotes of inspiration; Bobbi- reading to her each Tuesday; Pam and Shirley who loved her dearly; Gus- Sunday phone calls to check in; Lisa LS- providing speech improvement and friendship; Long, Ronnie, Amy- her physical therapists who adored her ‘can do’ spirit; Drs. at Zhu’s Acupuncture; Dr. Jay- acupuncturist who helped with her pain management; Jay and Josh at Friendly Care who cared and made her laugh… A birthday party and celebration of her life will be on Saturday, February 9, 2019. Memorial donations can be made to: UCSF or a charity of your choice.
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