Sister Audrey Marie

Sister Audrey Marie              ND 6639         PDF Download
Deborah Ann ELFRING

Mary Immaculate Province, Toledo, Ohio, USA

Date and Place of Birth:       July 29, 1955   Fremont, Ohio
Date and Place of Profession:  June 18, 1976   Toledo, Ohio
Date and Place of Death:       Nov. 28, 2014   Cleveland, Ohio
Date and Place of Funeral:     Dec. 4, 2014    Toledo, Ohio
Date and Place of Burial:      Dec. 4, 2014    Resurrection Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

 The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made.
Browning

In the early evening of Friday, November 28, Sister Audrey Marie Elfring, at the age of 59, gave back her soul to the Lord whom she had served so faithfully for thirty-eight years. Born into the home of Audrey Starrick and Robert Elfring, she became one of nine children. She attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and graduated from Ross High School in Fremont, Ohio. Feeling the call to religious life, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in August of 1973.

For thirty-four years she served on the faculties of schools in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Florida as teacher or principal. Highly regarded as a teacher, a mentor and a friend, Sister is remembered for her dedication, organization, reliability, and devotion to the students in her care. She kept not only a class list, but also a group picture of each class she had ever taught.

Sister was a gifted junior high teacher especially in the areas of Mathematics and Religious Studies. Skilled in developing rapport with children from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, she enabled them to achieve self-confidence and success in their studies. Her training in the Pathwise Teacher Mentoring Program and the Innovative Educators Program, and her skill in grant-writing made her a valued staff member in the schools where she taught.

Those who came to know Sister as a friend noted how she made you feel important in a respectful and sincere way. It was with genuine joy and a sense of humor that she endeared her friends and her family to herself. Sending cards, visiting family and friends, creating fun time together manifested her love and thoughtfulness for others. In her spiritual reflections she came to cherish the God who is faithful in love and forgiveness. She in turn imitated the loving embrace of the Father to all those whom she loved.

During her eight months of serious illness, Sister Audrey Marie never lost her humorous spirit. She kept hope and laughter alive to the very end. While a patient in Hospice of the Cleveland Clinic, Sister Audrey Marie returned home to her heavenly Father. May she now enjoy the party the Prodigal Father is giving in her honor.