Audrey (Murphy) Whitbeck

SALISBURY — Audrey (Murphy) Whitbeck, 81, died March 13, 2012, at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, following complications from a heart attack. Her family was by her side.Audrey was born April 12, 1930, in North Canaan. She was a graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School and attended art school at Boston University. She married Nelson “Bam” Whitbeck in 1951 and they both attended the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. After graduation from UConn they returned to Salisbury and with the Whitbeck family ran the Salisbury Pharmacy, founded in 1925 by Nelson’s father, Sam Whitbeck.Audrey was actively involved in town affairs throughout her life. Her community service work in Salisbury included volunteering on the school board and the Conservation Commission, and she was a longtime member of the Noble Horizons Auxiliary. She was an outdoor enthusiast. In her years with the Salisbury Winter Sports Association she served as its longtime director, president and nordic ski instructor. During the years her children were involved with SWSA’s nordic ski teams she spent her winters driving junior skiers all over New England to competitions. Audrey worked with members of the Salisbury Association on local history projects including recording oral histories of area residents and mounting historical exhibits at the Academy Building. In earlier years she enjoyed educational work with the American Indian Archeological Institute in Washington, Conn., on projects related to the early Native American history of Connecticut. Audrey loved animals, gardening and outdoor activities of all kinds. She spent her teenage years on her stepfather’s dairy farm on Weatogue Road in Salisbury. She and Bam later made the farm their home, where they continued to enjoy it through its present reincarnation as Weatogue Farm, run by their son, Gordon, and his partner, Elvia Gignoux. Audrey was an avid reader who loved history, Native American culture, anthropology and art. After their retirement she and Bam loved to travel. Her journals and photo albums of every trip from Greece to Mexico to Iceland document her enthusiasm for seeing the world. Along with her children and close friends she enjoyed hiking, cross-country skiing, swimming, canoeing and many camping trips on Mount Riga in Salisbury. Her friends and community were her extended family. She was a devoted mother to her children, their friends, and to all of her nieces and nephews.She is survived by her son and daughter, Gordon Whitbeck and Karen Whitbeck; Gordon’s partner, Elvia Gignoux; her nephews, Mark Williams, Gary Murphy and Jay Murphy; her nieces, Robin Chrisman, Donna Roberts, Colleen Kletchkowski, Sherri Hancock and Lynne Russo; and her cousin, John Keeler Jr.She was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Nelson “Bam” Whitbeck; her brother, Jim Murphy; her sister, Helen Williams; her sisters-in-law, Anna Whitbeck and Lillian Murphy; and her brothers-in-law, Walter Whitbeck and Don Williams.At Audrey’s request, no service will be held. The family thanks the community for all their love and support. We also wish to extend our gratitude to all of the staff at Noble Horizons, the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, and to the emergency room staff of Sharon Hospital and the Cardiac ICU at St. Francis Hospital.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Noble Horizons Auxiliary; the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service; or Salisbury Family Services.The Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home in North Canaan has charge of arrangements.