Audrey Burkes (nee Castillo) In Memoriam

Audrey died of colon cancer on September 15, 2005 after a very brief illness. Audrey lived in England, where she had moved in 1975 after marrying Ken Burkes. She leaves behind her husband Ken, daughters Dominique and Victoria, and granddaughter, Maya. Ken, Dominique, and Victoria cared for Audrey during the few weeks that she was ill. She was never on her own. Audrey's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Castillo, flew to England to be with her at the end. Audrey died at home with Ken and their daughters holding her hands. She was extremely brave and very much aware of what was happening. Her faith gave her immense courage. A day or so before she died, Audrey asked Dominique to watch for her final breath. She died very peacefully and when her final breath came, one solitary tear fell down her cheek--the only time that she had shed a tear. Audrey was cremated and her ashes brought back to Belize for burial. At her memorial service, held on October 18, one of Audrey's nieces read the eulogy, perhaps better described as a farewell message, that Audrey had written about five days before she died. Her hand-written copy had said that she was 54 and she had crossed that out and put 53, knowing that she would not reach her 54th birthday on the 3rd of October. At Audrey's place of work, she got to know a kitchen hand named Frank, who is also from also from the Caribbean and stands about seven feet tall. Co-workers report being amused when 5'3" Audrey got into finger-wagging sessions with Frank! When Audrey died, Frank wrote a poem in her honor. Class of 69     SCA Alumni News     In Memoriam Last updated: November 18, 2005