Audrey Wahtera

Audrey was born November 12, 1925 in Marquette, daughter of William and Lauretta (Krieg) Lockhart. At a young age her family moved to County Road 550 where she enjoyed growing up with friends and relatives in the neighborhood. The kids enjoyed swimming in Lake Superior and doing the things kids like to do. As a young woman, Audrey met Philip “Flip”ù Lillie and the couple was married on May 16th, 1942 and were married for 43 years. The couple lived on County Road 550 in the Brown Deer location where they began raising their family. Audrey joined Flip in his pioneering pursuit of making brooms at a time when brooms were not readily available in stores. It was a short lived enterprise as stores were soon able to sell mass produced brooms. After Flip returned home from serving in WWII, he worked in logging and worked at various sawmills as a filer. They later resided at the end of Forestville Road where Flip was the caretaker of the Mc Clure Dam powerhouse for Cliffs Power and Light. Audrey, always the cautious one, often worried about the children Judy and “Willie” playing around the fast moving Dead River so the couple returned to CR-550 near the 550 Store. Throughout the years Audrey was known for her great cooking skills, her ability to play music by ear improvising on the piano, violin, guitar, and her talent as an artist painting in oils. For many years she was employed by Lutey’s Flower Shop as one of their most talented and dedicated floral designers. A few years later following Flip’s death on October 23rd, 1985, Audrey married Carlo Albin Wahtera on August 21st, 1987 at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Once married they lived in the home that Carlo had erected in Trowbridge Park on the original Wahtera Family Farm land. In an interesting quirk, all of them, Audrey, Flip, and Carlo were friends from their young days when they formed their own band. Audrey and Carlo settled into a quiet style of life finding great pleasure in spending time at Presque Isle in the evenings with their dog just watching the ore boats. Carlo worked for many years at the LS&I Railroad working his way up from Clerk to Head Weigh Master. They enjoyed tracking the various ore boats as they came and went. They also enjoyed taking a day to go blueberry picking and adding in a cheeseburger, fries, and strawberry shake, life was even better! Carlo passed away August 28th, 2008.

She remained in the Wahtera home and loved when family and friends would come to pay a visit. As the family grew from grandchildren all the way to great great grandchildren, she was blessed to know each one well. To Audrey her greatest pleasure and fulfillment in life came from her family. Family celebrations were a highlight filled with her delicious cooking and warm hospitality. The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were all big deals when Audrey could gather everyone at her home and bask in just being together. She loved being a homemaker and appreciated the simple things in life, growing a garden with the simple beauty of old fashioned plants and flowers native to our area, feeding not only the pretty birds, but the crows, squirrels, chippies, and all sorts of animals that frequented her backyard so nothing would go to waste and none would go hungry. She still enjoyed doing her own yardwork even at 98. Often unable to come to a decision without first taking time to assess her course of action, shopping trips for birthday and Christmas gifts for the many family members was a daunting task. However, once she made up her mind the decision was fixed! For her almost 100 years of life, the many changes and challenges it brought, Audrey remained dedicated to her family, independent, in good health, sharp as a tack, and all enjoyed her ability to recall the many changes she saw and families she knew over almost 100 years in the Marquette area and provided encouragement, perspective gained over many decades, wit, and much love with a focus of finding enjoyment in the simple basics of life. A life well lived and an inspiration to all who knew her.

Audrey is survived by her son, Philip “Willie” (Karen) Lillie of Marquette; her grandchildren, Stephen (Kristi) Lillie and Ronald Scott (Emily) Britton of Marquette; and Brian (Becky) Lillie of Negaunee; great-grandchildren, Anna (Brian) Hart, Darin Lillie, Jacob Lillie, Matthew Lillie, Sarah (Eric) Sanborn, Hannah (Andrew) Brittaker, Cassie Britton, Travis Britton, Ella Lillie, and Tyler Yelle; great great-grandchildren, Peter Hart, A.J. Hart, Jaxon Hart, Ruby Hart, Ryne Hart, Abel Britton, Allie Jo Yelle, and Harper Yelle; many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In addition to her parents and husbands, Philip and Carlo, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Judith Britton-Revord; sons-in-law, Ronald Britton and Gary Revord; a granddaughter, Melissa Yelle; her siblings, Myrl (Noble) Sicotte, Ann (Leonard) Borg, and Phyllis (Buck) Merindorf; and brothers, Stanley and Irwin Eakett. The Lillie and Britton families would like to extend special acknowledgement and appreciation for the love and support shown to Audrey throughout these years and especially during this time of shared loss for this wonderful woman. She was a peach and will be dearly missed. To niece Bonnie Johnston, and the Wahtera nephews Kim (Sandy), Ed (Patty), Dennis (Dr. Fay) Seppala, Dave (Connie) Seppala, and we are forever grateful.

A celebration of life will be announced and held in the spring of the year, when the flowers begin to bloom and nature unfolds, a time Audrey always loved.

Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral and Cremation Services is serving the family, where condolences may be expressed online at fassbenderswansonhansen.com