The Life of Audrey Beyer
AUDREY BICKLEY BEYER
June 23, 1918 – March 12, 2015
Audrey B. Beyer was promoted to glory on March 12, 2015. The day before, her son Ted called her in the late afternoon and they had a nice chat. No one thought that she was so close to dying and she did not ask more than her usual question, “When are you coming to visit?” An hour later after eating a good meal, she felt ill and went to bed. She could not sleep and at 2 am was praying with Annecie who lived with and cared for her. A little later she saw a bright light and called Annecie to “come quickly” so that she could help her because the light was hurting her eyes. But Annecie told her she could not see the light and shortly afterwards, Audrey fell asleep. She passed quietly at 4:20 am. Annecie was with her as was Connie Braden (a good friend and neighbor) and Anne Bradley (Annecie’s sister).
While it is never easy to lose a close family member, we consider that this is not the end. We will see her again, and she is now out of pain and released as she prayed. Her last few years were spent where she wanted to be, in her home, and she enjoyed many visits from her family and friends. Now she has a better home where the view is of Jesus and his glory. This is our consolation.
Audrey grew up in Bala Cynwyd, PA just 8 minutes away from her home in Penn Valley. She liked to tell friends that at age 25 she was licensed as a pilot and a member of the Women Flyers of America. For many years she worked as an office and technical assistant to her father, Everett H. Bickley. She helped him with the production and maintenance of his inventions including the photo-electric air sorter for which he was eventually given recognition as an American inventor in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Among his inventions are some items still commonly in use today such as the swivel faucet and moving lights to announce a message or the news.
Audrey was married twice, first in 1943 to a thoracic surgeon, Robert Howell Witmer, with whom she had three sons: Robert Bickley Witmer who died at 6 months due to a vaccine, Robert Bickley Witmer II who is married to Deborah and lives in Lancaster, PA, and Theodore Bickley Witmer married to Dana who lives in Bunia, D.R. Congo. Audrey was divorced in 1957 and she remarried in 1967 to John Henry Beyer who predeceased her in 2000. Her step-son, John Henry Beyer, Jr, is married to Sue and lives in El Cerrito, CA. Audrey also has three grandchildren, Paige, Lucas and Gregory and two great-grand children Evan and Sophia.
Audrey’s great love was Art and Music. She wanted to be a professional singer, and did sing semi-professionally for a number of years, but eventually focused her life on oil painting. She liked to describe herself as an American Impressionist “Painter of Life.” She had a Bachelors Degree from the Philadelphia Museum College of Art in Art Education and she took graduate courses at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia under Arthur DeCosta, Will Barnett, Bruce Samuelson and others. She taught art at Lower Merion High School (PA) and at her Bay Head Art Center (NJ), and she exhibited her work in over 60 venues both nationally and internationally. Her home was the “Beyer Studio and Gallery” where she still has over 80 paintings on display that she was too fond of to part with.
Among her many memberships, Audrey was a member of the Junior League, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames and the Huguenot Society. She appreciated all that her ancestors did to provide a country where she could live in freedom and she wanted to remember them and follow in their footsteps. She was also active in the Opera Guild of Philadelphia, the Narberth Group for the Creative Arts and the Main Line Art Center.
Audrey will be remembered most for her joy of living life to the fullest. She always wanted to do everything that would fit into a day. If there was a party, she was ready to go. She always had season tickets to the opera, theater and orchestra and would get a group together for these events, preferring to carpool to get the party started early.
Throughout her life, Audrey’s faith was important to her. She became a Christian in Sunday School at Church of the Covenant in Bala Cynwyd and raised her hand to be a missionary at the age of 6, but as an only child, her father discouraged the idea. (Note: her father’s grandfather, Bishop George Bickley, had been a missionary in Singapore and her uncle Exley Bickley died while preparing to be a missionary.) As a young woman, she was a leader in the Bible Puppeteers producing Bible stories for the new media of television. She was the main creator of the puppets which were exaggerated caricatures of people like the evil Goliath and the good King David. She taught Sunday School for many years, and was active in the Sanctity of Life movement. In 1960, she became a founding member of a new church that would hold to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. She hosted Bible studies and participated in church visitation until she could no longer drive at night when she was about 90. She remained constant in church attendance until her strength did not allow it. When her son and daughter-in-law arrived from Africa to see her this past Christmas, she prayed a blessing for them saying how wonderful it is that “we can all be God’s emissaries.”
We will celebrate God’s grace to us shown through Audrey Beyer at a Memorial Service at Proclamation Presbyterian Church, 278 Bryn Mawr Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. The family will greet friends beginning at 10 am Saturday, April 4, 2015 and the service will be at 11 am.
Because of Audrey’s interest in missions, in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be sent to Mission to the World at P.O. Box 2589, Suwannee, GA 30024 and designated for account 16843 (Len Stewart) or online at www.mtw.org.