Born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1925 to Judson and Grace Place, she spent her early years in rural New Jersey.
At age 8, her family moved to Melrose, Massachusetts, where she attended the Melrose public schools. Upon graduating from Melrose High School in 1944, she attended Forsyth Training School for Dental Hygienists. Thereafter, she was employed as a dental hygienist in Melrose.
She was married to Philip Whitehead from 1949 until his death in 1990. The couple had two children, Howard Whitehead of Topsfield, Massachusetts, and Nancy Dowling of Augusta.
Audrey spent her summers in Kennebunkport, and part of her winters in Florida. In Melrose, she was a member of the First United Methodist Church and the Semi-Circle of the church. She also served as a director of the Melrose Visiting Nurse Association, and was a member of both the Melrose Hospital Auxiliary and Kappa Delta Psi Sorority. In Kennebunkport, she was a member of the Church on the Cape in Cape Porpoise.
In addition to her children, Audrey is survived by: her daughter-in-law, Mary Ellen Whitehead; her son-in-law, William Dowling; her grandchildren, Daniel Estey of Boulder, Colorado, and his companion Katie Gallagher, Meghan Perry of North Andover, Massachusetts and her husband Christopher, and Ashley Luskey of Morgantown, West Virginia and her husband Brian; and her great-grandchildren, Logan Perry and Liam Perry. She also leaves her brother, Ronald Place, of Melbourne, Florida and his wife, Elizabeth; several nieces and nephews; and her companion in later years, Robert Englishman of Fort Pierce, Florida.
Relatives and friends will gather for her memorial service at the First United Methodist Church, 645 Main St., Melrose, on Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow immediately at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA, 02472; the First United Methodist Church of Melrose, 645 Main St., Melrose, MA, 02176; or the Church on the Cape, P.O. Box 7663, Cape Porpoise, ME, 04014.
For directions or online tribute, visit www.robinsonfuneralhome.com.
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