Audrey Doris Ksepka

Weslaco- Audrey Doris Ksepka, 84, passed away on Wednesday, May 8th, 2019. Audrey was born on November 20th, 1934 to Howard Born and Helen Beck Born in Chicago, Illinois. She and her brother Howard grew up in Chicago where she graduated high school. When Audrey was still a teenager, she and Eugene both worked at a local retail grocery chain, and they soon began their courtship. Eugene had already enlisted in the Air Force so their courtship would continue through letters and some leaves. When Eugene returned from Korea in 1953, he stopped in California to ask Howard's blessing and asked Audrey for her hand in marriage. They were married on March 22nd, 1953 and enjoyed sixty-six more years together. In 1955, Eugene and Audrey settled in California to be near her parents, but it was not for long. Eugene was not satisfied with civilian life, so he re-enlisted in the Air Force and Audrey would move all over the world for the next twenty-six years. Together, they raised two boys, Michael, who was born in California, and Andrew, who was born in Morocco. Audrey readily moved when the time was right and made the most out of their somewhat frequent relocations and her husband's career. She often found a job on the base as an administrative assistant and eventually retired after twenty-eight years of civil service with the Air Force. The family lived in Massachusetts, California, Morocco, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Germany, Illinois, and visited many foreign countries. While in Germany, she decided to attend college classes to enhance her professional career and broaden her knowledge. Audrey was passionate in researching her family ancestry and made several trips to Denmark to find long lost family members. In fact, she was instrumental in reestablishing several Danish family members with other family members located throughout the United States. She was active in the Beta Sigma Phi Society while they were stationed in Germany and again in Illinois. When Eugene finally retired from the Air Force after thirty years of service, he worked for McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri, where the couple spent another eighteen years. Upon her retirement in 1994, Eugene and Audrey purchased a travel trailer and began touring the United States as well as taking many trips to Europe and went on many cruises. Finally, in 1996, Audrey convinced Eugene to visit some friends in Brownsville, and they both fell in love with "This is California in 1950's". They built a home in Winter Haven Park in Brownsville where they spent the next nineteen years. In 2017 they moved into John Knox Village. Audrey will be remembered for her quilting. She was a member of the Guild Club in Brownsville and enjoyed making beautiful quilts. Audrey also loved writing and wrote many short stories and received first place in writing competitions. Audrey is preceded in death by her parents, Howard and Helen Born, sister Carol and daughter-in-law Nancy. She is survived by her loving husband, Eugene Ksepka, sons Michael Ksepka (Judith) of Blaine, Minnesota, and Andrew Ksepka of Hazel Green, Alabama, grandchildren, Matthew Ksepka (Dawn), Jonathon Ksepka (Sarah), Nicholas Ksepka, Douglas Franklin, great-grandchildren Jacob, Samuel, Benjamin, Viola Ksepka, Kennedy Ksepka, Dannie Franklin, and brother, Howard Born (Carol) of Riverside, California.