Audrey Ellen Behrendt

In Loving Memory Audrey Ellen BehrendtAudrey Ellen Behrendt,age 81, of Liberal, passed away at 6:00 a.m., July 29, 2012, at her home in Liberal. A native of Turpin, Oklahoma,she was born November 15, 1930, in a sod house, just south of Dombey, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of the late Josiah Kermit and Bessie Belle Ray. She attended Turpin High School and began college at Panhandle in Goodwell, Oklahoma, where she met and then married Vernon Theodore Behrendt, on March 18, 1949.They took up residence in Liberal, where their 4 children were born. When Vernon began working for Skelly Oil, the family began moving around the country. Audrey made homes for them in Trenton, Nebraska; Valley Center, Kansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Salina, Kansas; Springfield, Missouri. The family moved back to Liberal in 1974, and have been active in the community ever since.Audrey enjoyed raising her kids and grandkids. She loved working in her yard and growing a huge garden. She loved quilting for her family during the winter. Audrey worked with her younger daughter to open a ceramics and craft business, which they ran together for 12 years. She was also involved with Ada when she started doing beautification for the City of Liberal, by supplying plants and seeds for the many flower beds that were put in around Liberal.She was preceded in death by her parents, Josiah and Bessie Ray, of Turpin; her sister, Betty Plett and husband Leroy, of Albuquerque, NM; her brother, Kermit Ray, of Turpin; and son-in-law Leonard Buddenhagen, of Baltimore, Maryland.Audrey is survived by her husband of 63 years, Vernon Behrendt; cousin, Helen Harper; sister-in law, Nancy Ray, of Turpin; daughters, Cathy Buddenhagen and Ada Linenbroker with companion Jack Rich, of Liberal; sons, Terry Behrendt and wife Mae, of Wichita, KS, Teddy Behrendt and wife Terrie, of Turpin; 3 grandsons, Christopher Linenbroker and wife Penny, Daniel Buddenhagen of Liberal, and Joey Behrendt and wife Cynthia, of Turpin; 4 granddaughters, April Sawyer and husband Darin, and Alison Boyd of Wichita, KS, Becky Bridensteine and husband Matthew, of Las Vegas, NV, Jessica Rogers and husband Michael, of Turpin; 12 great-grandchildren, Kailey and Divan Linenbroker of Liberal, Brianna, Alexis and Zackery Behrendt, and Braxton Rogers of Turpin, Paige, Blake and Carter Sawyer, and Cameron, Sabin and Jordan Boyd of Wichita, KS.Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 pm Tuesday, at Brenneman Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Steve B. Saville presiding. Burial will be held in Restlawn Cemetery.Visitation time will be held 1 to 5 pm Monday at Brenneman Funeral Home. Memorial Contributions may be sent to Seward County Historical Society in care of Brenneman Funeral Home 1212 W. 2nd Liberal, KS 67901