Reflections - Aunt Audrey

Great Spangled Fritillary on the Butterfly Bush

Audrey Bryan Boate

October 28,1926 - May 1, 2023

At the funeral for my mother-in-law Priscilla, Audrey said, “You consoled me at my brother’s funeral. Let me console you now.” Back at the house, we looked through old photo albums together. Photos of the Bryan family in Florida during WWII didn’t have Priscilla in them. I asked why. Audrey said, “She was with her first husband then.” Audrey shocked us. None of our generation had known Priscilla had been married twice!

I have fond memories of watching Christmas concerts in Audrey’s church on video. They were grand productions complete with bell choirs.

Audrey and I bonded over butterflies. Every letter I sent had a return address label with a butterfly picture. When we visited her in Florida, she treated us to a trip to Butterfly World.

 

This July, Spence and I purchased a purple buddleia in her memory. While the butterfly bush was still in its pot on the deck, a tiger swallowtail swooped in to drink the nectar. Other butterflies followed.