Resident Profile:
Audrey Dietrich

Born here in 1929, Audrey Dietrich has called Milwaukee home all her life. Audrey's father, Robert O'Connell, supported the family as a machinist at the Trackson Manufacturing Company. Her mother Dorothy was a homemaker. The Dietrich family included Audrey, two brothers, Harvey and Robert, and a sister, Dorothy.

Some of Audrey's favorite memories of her childhood were going fishing with her Dad. She also loved helping her mother out in the kitchen. She remembers how much she enjoyed vacationing in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Then the family acquired a cottage on Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Audrey remembers many happy days spent on the lake boating and fishing.

Audrey attended Messmer High School on Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. Her favorite study subject was math, but she especially enjoyed participating in sports. She was an avid swimmer (Messmer had an indoor pool), and she also enjoyed playing volleyball. Audrey graduated in 1947.

By 1948 Audrey was a stenographer for St. Vincent DePaul. It wasn't long before her husband-to-be, Alfred, proposed, and the two were married in 1949. Audrey and Alfred had known each other since the second grade. She recalls how they used to participate in after-school activities at Messmer High School. They became romantically involved when Alfred asked her out -- at the wedding of his former girlfriend! Audrey and Alfred were married for 49 years, until his passing in 1998.

Audrey and Alfred had four children, two sons, John and Fred, and two daughters, Carlotta and Mary Beth. Audrey now has four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

After her children were of school age, Audrey took a job with the Milwaukee Journal, where she worked for twenty years in the classified ad department.

After Alfred's passing, Audrey lived in their home just north of the Milwaukee airport. But she was lonely; with families of their own to care for, her kids only had time to visit on weekends. Audrey's daughter Carlotta lives in Waukesha, and after they toured Summit Woods three and a half years ago, Audrey promptly moved in. She raves about the scenic views, her balcony, and her fireplace.

Audrey loves the activities at Summit Woods. She plays poker, sheepshead, and bingo, and she enjoys the casino outings the facility offers. But she is most enthusiastic about the people at Summit Woods: "I feel I have made a lot of friends here -- exceptional friends. The people are the most important thing. I have two special women friends who are like sisters to me. This place is truly home to me."