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Obituary of Audrey J. Burgess
Audrey Jane Burgess (11/24/1932- 02/06/2023)
Audrey passed quickly and peacefully on February 6, 2023, at approximately 3:41pm. She left while stories of heartfelt warmth and laughter were being shared by her family. So, she put on her raspberry pink shoes and danced across the Jordan River as only she would do.
Audrey grew up in Worcester, MA, the daughter of William H. and Hazel (Caisse) McTighe. After graduating from Classical High School, she attended The New England Conservatory of Music to study voice and piano. Her passion was to become a jazz singer. While there, she met her husband Robert Burgess, Jr, a painting student at Vesper George School of Art. They fell in love and before long, they were a family of five. Together they raised their 3 children in Abington and Weymouth. Once the children were gone, they moved to Duxbury, living there for more than 30 years.
As artists raising their children in the suburbs, it was a creative environment to grow up in - music (Opera, Classical, Broadway shows, and jazz), art and making good food. They began their jewelry business designing and making a series of enamels in the basement of their house in Abington. The business took off and they opened a jewelry store, The Burgess Studio, in Quincy, MA. Both Audrey and Bob made custom designed jewelry in sterling silver and 14K gold. The main store was in Quincy Center for ten years. For five of those years, they opened a second shop in Provincetown, MA during the summertime.
In 1970, when they closed the business, Audrey started selling real estate on the South Shore of Boston. She had a successful career selling real estate for many years. Audrey and Bob traveled a lot too. They went white water rafting on the Colorado River, traveled by train across Russia, from Moscow to Lake Baikal, with Audrey’s choral group, and vacationed in many major cities in Europe. Audrey did solo trips to Our Lady of Lourdes in the French Pyrenees, Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, and Medjugorje located in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Audrey is predeceased by her husband Robert Burgess, Jr. in 2009. She is survived by her children: Bob and his wife Terri of Duxbury, Martha of Astoria, NY, Susan of Weymouth, and her four grandchildren: Max, Halle, Jimmy, and David. She also leaves her sister Susan Berkeley, her nephew James, her niece Allison, and her grand-niece Phoebe. Audrey also leaves nieces Patricia Adamson and her husband Ed, and Janice Pray and her husband Ed and their families, nephew Al Clifford and his wife Cathy, and niece Nancy Clifford. She is also predeceased by her daughter-in-law, Polly Burgess in 2000.
We will miss you, Mom!
Memorial visiting hours for Audrey will be at the Shepard Funeral Home on Thursday, 2/16/2023, from 6pm to 8pm. Address: 216 Main Street, Kingston, MA.
A Mass for Audrey will be celebrated at Saint Joseph’s Church on Friday, 2/17/2023, beginning at 10:30am. Address: 272 Main Street, Kingston, MA.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in mom’s name, Audrey Jane Burgess, to:
Hospice Care:
by mail to: West River Hospice Foundation, Inc.
63 Kendrick Street
Needham, MA 02494
or online to: Hospice Foundation of America
or by phone: 1-800-854-3402
Heifer International – Ending Hunger and Poverty
or
Doctors Without Borders
In Loving Memory
Audrey Burgess
1932 - 2023
