HAWKINS TILLOTSON, Audrey
Audrey passed away on April 29, 2012, in her 89th year. The cornerstone of her family, Audrey was the proud mother of: Nellie, Dent, Audrey Ann, Gillian, and Gwen (David); and grandmother of: Tara (Mark), Brian, Sam (Paula), Edward, Max, Ashley, and Lori. Her beloved husband, William, and daughter-in-law she adored, Barb, pre-deceased her. Born in Otley, Yorkshire, Audrey was the only child of Dent and Nellie Hawkins. Educated in England and Finland, young Audrey was an avid cross-country skier and explorer who, with her parents, roamed Yorkshire and Finnish countrysides. As World War II closed in, Audrey and her parents slipped out of Finland to England, only days ahead of a Nazi invasion. Audrey served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), assigned to help build AVRO Lancaster bombers. After the war, Audrey and her parents moved to Canada, traveling by ocean liner and steam train via New York to Montreal, settling in Huntingdon, Quebec. Audrey met her dance partner and love, William (Bill) Tillotson, and they soon married, moving to Sherbrooke where they raised their five children. Spending summers at Baldwin’s Mills in a renovated logger’s cabin, with organic plumbing and oil lamps, Bill and Audrey nurtured their family with a steady diet of sunshine, trout fishing, swimming, hunting, roaring bonfires and marshmallows, card games, jam sandwiches, tea, and Vermont drive-ins often featuring John Wayne. Winter saw Audrey serving fries, English style, each Sunday evening. Montreal Canadien game intermissions meant Bill and Audrey would dance together, hand-in-hand, gazing into each other’s eyes, gliding around the room as Lawrence Welk music filled the air and their children looked on. They taught their children to be independent, resourceful, and see the world through their hearts. No matter where they went, Bill and Audrey held hands, enjoyed the simple things in life, and were forever in love with each other. In her later years, Audrey enjoyed traveling and spending time with her children and grandchildren, moving to Lennoxville in her senior years, where she was active in senior citizen groups and community activities. Audrey is now with her dance partner and love, Bill, watching over their legacy: their children and grandchildren. A graveside service will be held at a later date. --
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