Audrey Evelyn Schek

She was born on January 9, 1944, in Ypsilanti, MI, to Gordon Backus and Eleanor (Swanson) Backus. Audrey was deeply involved in Ann Arbor city politics and made many lifelong friends through her active participation. She took great pride in her children and their accomplishments. An active gardener and lover of flowers, her gardens won the Golden Trowel Award in Ann Arbor. Audrey loved and rescued many cats later in life. She loved to tell the story of her cat Mckee that she found as a kitten when he ran out from under a car with his hair on fire. She was a fiercely independent woman and a staunch supporter of other women.

After high school, Audrey worked as a waitress at Ann Arbor institutions Angelo’s and Fowler’s where she met her husband, Henry Schek, Jr. She was a stay-at-home mother while her children were young and then ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a small house-cleaning business. Following her passion for flowers and appreciation of natural beauty, Audrey became a talented floral designer. She opened her own shop on the west side of Ann Arbor named Audrey Gorden Florist, in honor of her beloved father.

Audrey is survived by her children, Heidi Strater, Henry Schek, III, and Lindsey Schek Gillespie, along with her grandchildren, Maddox and Ellis Schek, Gabrielle and Kristine Gillespie, Emily Strater, and Connor Torrence and his three children Oliver, Nicholas, and Mikheal Torrence. Audrey was formerly married to Henry Schek Jr.

A memorial service to honor Audrey's life will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that charitable donations be made to Planned Parenthood of Michigan.