Audrey Loretta WILLIAMS

1932 - 2022

WILLIAMS, Audrey Loretta (nee Downie) December 15, 1932 - May 23, 2022 Our remarkable mother, wife, aunt, sister and friend Audrey passed away peacefully surrounded by her children. Predeceased by her father Thomas Downie and mother May Wright Downie, she is survived by brothers Kenneth Downie (Mary) and John Downie (Barb); her husband of 63 years Bryan Williams; and her children Lori (Holly), Jordan (Audra), Todd (Louise) and Shannon (Anthony); cherished nieces and nephews and cousins. Audrey was always happiest when surrounded by her beloved grandchildren Evan, Graham, Jett, Noah, Gracie, Robyn, Elyse and Juliet. Born and raised in Point Grey, Audrey graduated from Lord Byng High School. She met her husband Bryan on board a ship returning from a Cooks Tour of Europe with seven close friends. After her marriage in 1958, she and Bryan moved to West Vancouver where their four children were raised in a home on the beach. Always proudly independent, Audrey lived in the house purchased in 1964 until her death and never gave up her driver's license. She was an active member of the Junior League and volunteered with many organizations in West Vancouver, the provincial and federal Liberal Parties, school activities, her children's sports teams, the Coho Festival and many others. Audrey had a remarkable career as a figure skater. She started skating in 1938 at the Connaught Skating Club where she spent long hours practicing. It all paid off when she and her skating partner Brian Power won the National junior pairs competition in 1951 and came second in National senior pairs in 1952-53. She made lifelong friends in the skating community. Later, Audrey's interest moved to judging. She started at fifteen becoming a national judge in 1957 and an international judge in 1967. What followed were many years of international judging and refereeing including numerous world championships and two Olympic Games. Many of these competitions were in Eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin Wall and Audrey returned with wonderful stories. The pinnacle of her judging career was judging the women's figure skating competition at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. In recognition of her years of service and expertise, Audrey was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the SkateCanada BC/Yukon Branch Hall of Fame. As the wife of a prominent Vancouver lawyer, Audrey was an enthusiastic supporter of Bryan's roles in the Canadian Bar Association where she made a whole new group of friends across BC, Canada and the Commonwealth. She loved dressing up for the gala dinners and receptions. She and Bryan were avid travelers reaching every continent. Their adventures included African safaris, Himalayan treks, European sailing trips, blue footed boobies in the Galapagos Islands and penguins in Antarctica. Summers were spent cruising on their sailboat, sitting on the deck at their home on Salt Spring Island and winters on the slopes of Whistler. It was truly a wonderful life. Audrey leaves behind a wide circle of devoted friends who are left asking, "what would Audrey do" when they need guidance. Her generosity, fun-loving nature, boundless energy and selflessness will be greatly missed. She remembered birthdays and celebrated achievements. Her passions were keeping fit by walking with friend Bonnie, enjoying West Coast Indigenous art with friend Doug, socializing with friends and family, watching any kind of professional sports playoffs, walking Napili Beach on Maui and being with her family. She had a generosity of spirit that was unparalleled. She welcomed everyone into her home whether it was for a meal or to stay. Many thanks to the staff on 7 West at Lions Gate Hospital and at North Shore Hospice. You made a difficult time so much easier. A celebration of Audrey's life will be held at the Hollyburn Country Club, 950 Cross Creek Road, West Vancouver on June 29 from 2 to 5 pm. Please RSVP to Lori Williams at loreenwilliams@gmail.com In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Audrey Williams Memorial Fund at Skate Canada BC/YK Section by visiting www.skatinginbc.com.