Philomene Audrin Lebon

Born on May 22, 1926, on a farm in Bretagne, France, Philomene "Philo" (Audrin) Lebon's world was one rich in siblings, love, and butter but lacking in electricity, running water, and central heating. She cooked by fireplace, washed clothes in a stream, and milked cows by hand. Philo saw wartime as a young girl. The home she lived in with her parents Jean and Jeanne (Lucas) Audrin and her six siblings was invaded by German soldiers. From a young age, she learned to make do with little and to find fun no matter life's circumstances, even when forced to eat dinners in darkness due to bomb threats. She and her sister Yvette took great delight in mixing potato peels -animal food in France!- into a salad eaten in said darkness. For decades to follow, schoolgirl giggles and blissful twinkles painted Philo's face upon each retelling.

As the oldest daughter, Philo played a sizeable hand in raising her many brothers and sisters. In adulthood, she used humble, hard-earned savings to bring many of them to what became her new home - the Land of Lady Liberte. With gumption and grit, at age 25, Philo made the journey by ship - first to Quebec, Canada (aboard the Cunard line, The Georgic, on March 29, 1951), where she lived with Dr. Nicholas Mittler and his wife and family. After some time, and a few adventures, she made her way to New York City. She first lived at the Jeanne D'Arc Residence for Women in Manhattan. Philo taught herself English, spoke with a delightful accent, and found joy in dancing at the then-famed Yorkville ballrooms. In March of 1955 she married the love of her life, Auguste Lebon, whom she met while working at an eatery near the YMCA's Seaman's House where he was living. The couple eloped and wed at a courthouse in Middletown, NY. They rented an apartment on 1st Avenue and 49th Street and had their first daughter, Janet, in September of 1956. Three years later they moved to her beloved house in Astoria, New York, where Philo would spend much of her adult life. The week of the move, she gave birth to her second daughter, Nicole, and lost her youngest brother, Michel, in a tragic car accident.

Her work ethic unmatched, her whit adored, and her smarts recognized, Philo cobbled an admirable career. She assembled scissors in a Canadian factory (she developed a faster production method the entire workforce eventually emulated) and worked at Denis Restaurant, a fine establishment in the Wall Street area (where she won the hearts and minds of many a loyal diner). Ultimately, Philo made it to Merrill Lynch, where she landed once one of those diners saw her intelligence and hired her at the age of 55. It was there that Philo learned how to work on computers. She was surrounded by those with college degrees who sought her know-how. Philo earned one of her most treasured possessions - a red leather watch - given to her on the day of her retirement.

Philo was a fiercely proud, fiercely devoted mother and grandmother. Her two daughters, Janet and Nicole, were her greatest sense of purpose and joy. Through all the seasons of her life, she was happiest with them. Her grandchildren Danny Caliendo and Audrey Scagnelli, were great sources of love, as was their Meme (grandma, in French), to them. Her son-in-law, Thomas Scagnelli (nick-named "Chuck", or as Philo said it, "Shuck"), whom she met as his own mother was passing away, became her son. She was so proud of his occupation as a physician, and he was so proud of her story and her warmth. There was always room for more. More at the table, more in her heart.

And glorious were the spreads on Philo's table. One of her great pleasures in life was feeding those she loved with rich, hearty, fantastic meals. The stuff of legend - and of butter - were her creations. Crepes crisped on her authentic gas fired crepe pans, coquilles St. Jacques, beef bourguignon, galettes, skillet roasted French onion chicken and potatoes, fresh tomatoes from her city garden, and, of course, her famed Gateau Breton cookies and cakes. She never used a measuring cup, relying on sight, taste and smell. To the chagrin of her daughters, and the delight of her granddaughter (who followed in her footsteps), Philo created havoc in the kitchen, left cabinet doors ajar, and took pleasure in saving the tiniest of scraps and wrapping them in the oddest of ways - odes to childhood on a French farm.

Philo managed to enchant others right until the end. While dementia took so many parts of her, even in her final weeks she still made her family and hospital workers laugh. (She invited the nurses to lay down next to her, insisting there was room and they must be tired.) She lived with her two daughters the last six years of her life, first in Miami between their two homes, then moving to New Orleans, and finally, to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In New Orleans, Philo attended Mardi Gras and had the time of her life receiving dozens of throws - shiny pink beads, tiaras, boas - bringing smiles to every parade goer as her daughter and granddaughter pushed her wheelchair through the streets.

Philo died on December 27th, 2022. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her. She is survived by daughters Janet Caliendo and Nicole Lebon-Scagnelli, grandchildren, Daniel Caliendo and Audrey Scagnelli, son-in-law, Thomas Scagnelli, MD, sister Lucienne Kergaravat, and nieces and nephews, Marlene Breniel, Stephane Audrin, Veronique Ridley, Michelle Zynkowski, Jean Paul Kergaravat, Carine Barbou, Loic Barbou. She is predeceased by her siblings Jean, Yvette Breniel, Robert, Theophile and Michel, husband Auguste Lebon, and parents Jean Audrin and Jeanne (Lucas) Audrin. A true embodiment of the American Dream, her story will be treasured by generations to come.

Services will be held at St Mary's Episcopal Church, 1500 Chelwood Park Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87112, February 18th, 2023 at 2 PM Mountain Time and will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/stmarysalbuquerque/

Philomene's family will host a celebration of her life in Stony Brook, NY on May 21st, 2023.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to

Hilarity for Charity https://www.wearehfc.org/

HFC is a national non-profit on a mission to care for families impacted by Alzheimer's disease.