Audrey Brei, 79, March 6, 1934-March 26, 2013

Obituary courtesy of Hultgren Funeral Home:

Audrey C. Brei, age 79, a resident of Glen Ellyn since 1961, went home to her Lord and Saviour on March 26, 2013, following a brief illness.

Born on March 6, 1934 to Frank and Bernice Carpenter, Audrey was raised in Chicago, IL, and graduated from the former all-girls Lucy Flower High School in 1952. She received an Associate of Arts degree from North Park University in 1954, and was honored to join the Alumni Golden Circle in 2004. She met Wayne Brei in 1952 while playing cello and singing in the Hi-C Chorale, an organization of Youth for Christ, and they married on May 11, 1957 at Albany Park Baptist Church. They settled in their current home in the early 1960’s.

Audrey was devoted to raising her family, considering it an honor to serve in the roles of wife and mother. She forever blessed the lives of her four children by nurturing their physical well-being, providing an environment for academic achievement and modeling spiritual development in the Christian faith. She encouraged her children’s interests and cheered on her grandchildren at many school, sports and musical events, especially band concerts and piano recitals. She enjoyed vacations with the family, taking 15 road trips to Disney World, and spending summers at the family cottage on Osterhout Lake in southwest Michigan, frequently hosting multi-generational picnics, game nights, pontoon rides and s’more-building around the campfire.

Talented, hardworking and thrifty, she took pride in homemaking skills, especially cooking and baking, knitting, sewing and household budget management. Audrey established her own traditions: each new baby in the extended family was welcomed with a hand-knitted blanket, and students received an afghan when they left home for college. An avid reader, early adopter of new technology and advocate of lifelong learning, she opened the world to her children by getting them library cards at an early age and encouraging them to read widely, everything from comic books to classic children’s literature, with special focus on biographies of accomplished people.

Audrey set a standard of excellence in everything she did. While still in high school, she traveled across the city to work for Christian Life magazine, and later worked professionally as a secretary at DuPont. In adulthood, Audrey was employed as a supervisor at Ansvar America Insurance Company in Rolling Meadows, leaving the company to join her husband as an insurance broker, operating the Davis-Brei Insurance agency in Glen Ellyn until retirement in 2002. Known for her dedicated customer service to many individuals and parachurch organizations in the west suburban area, she deemed it a special privilege to manage the TEAM fleet account, personally handling the auto insurance needs for missionaries returning from the field on furlough. Audrey was a long-time member of Wheaton Bible Church, the adults Homebuilders Sunday School class, and the informal Monday morning coffee group known as the JULIETs.

Audrey was frequently called upon by family and friends for her knack to give driving directions--often including alternate routes, construction roadblocks and weather conditions. A lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs, she nonetheless joined her son-in-law in cheering on the White Sox during their World Series championship run in 2005. And although Audrey confessed that she was “not an animal person,” she tenderly cared for her “grand-pets” whenever needed, cats Gracie, Ellie and Hayleigh and dogs Sydney, Pavlov and Lady Bing.

Audrey is survived by her beloved husband of 55 years, Wayne; dear daughters Nancy (Tom) Silvasy of Glen Ellyn, IL, and Brenda (Robert) Peterson of Wheaton, IL; dear son David (Brenda) of Medina, OH; and devoted son-in-law Daniel Spisiak, Jr. (Beth) of Elmhurst, IL; cherished grandchildren Andrea (Nathan) Schroeder of Oswego, IL, Brian Spisiak, Brett and Trevor Peterson, Ashley and Jessica Brei, and treasured infant great-grandson Ethan Wayne Schroeder. She is also fondly remembered by her brother, Bill (Gewyn) Carpenter of Sunnyvale, CA, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her eldest daughter, Sandy (Brei) Spisiak in 2007, and by her parents.

Visitation will be held Monday, April 1, 2013, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton, IL. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, April 2, 2013, at Wheaton Bible Church, 27W500 North Avenue, West Chicago, IL, with a Visitation at 10 a.m. followed by the Service at 11 a.m. Burial will be private. Memorials may be directed to The Evangelical Alliance Mission, TEAM Stewardship Department, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60187-0969, or to the church.