Audrey Mae SpencerSpencer Historical CemeteryHenry Straight / William Spencer Family Cemetery
Vaughn Historical CemeterySpencers of East Greenwich, RI
17 July 2002

Heather: When did you do all this reading of poetry? Was it when you were young?

Audrey: No, it was when all the children left home. That’s when I began to read Emily Dickinson and other poets. The greatest poet of all was Sappho. She lived on an island, wore little or no clothes, went off in a canoe… Emily Dickinson was the closest to her in poetry writing. Crossing the Bar by Tennyson, the English poet, is on life and dying (crossing and dying) using words like “creator” “pilot”.  When I die, I want all my children, grandchildren to read and/or recite that poem together at my grave site next to Dad.

my-children-and-kin-crossing-the-bar_2

Audrey’s last request to her children and kin: “plant small flowers when you visit my grave site”.

17 July 2002

Heather: Have you thought about our ancestors lately?

Audrey: I can’t remember everything, but it is all down in black and white. Also, Luanne (uncle Ed’s granddaughter) is looking up everything.

Brenda and Spencer were here a long while visiting with Crystal, Ernie and me. They stayed a long while.

17 July 2002

Heather: When I come home, I can take you to see the Over-back Cemetery during the week when the children who live in the house in front of the cemetery are in school.

The Over-back Cemetery (AKA Straight Family Cemetery, No.10, E.G. No.510, StraightSpencer Historical Cemetery, E.G. No. 84) Plat 15-D Town of East Greenwich

Audrey: I’ll be always here!  This hearing aid makes my ear itch!!

Why did they take our No. 10 from us?

(Heather:  Mother, I’m doing historical research to prove that the Over-back Cemetery is the original No.10 just as the Spencer Cemetery is the original and current No.9.)

(Explanation: East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No.9, called the Spencer Family Cemetery, is located on the south side of Middle Road, 141 feet to the west of Partridge Run. The Over-back Cemetery is located 1,380 feet to the south of East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No.9 and east of the adjoining stone wall. 
Four Spencers are buried in the Over-back [aka Henry Straight Family Cemetery] and, therefore, the cemetery is also called the StraightSpencer Cemetery.)

2002 photo of fieldstones, possibly Spencer fieldstones, located on the east side of stone wall and on the west end of the Straight-Spencer historical cemetery

17 July 2002

Heather: How would you see your life?

Audrey Mae MacDonald

 

Audrey: I just lived—never above or below. We had a good life when we look back at it. It wasn’t perfect, but yet it was all right. Let me get over to that thing (the tabletop catalog rack)* and thank you, but I forget to tell you, but you know I’m appreciative.

*Heather compiled hundreds of pages of  her mother’s art work, her writings, her ancestry, her life stories etc.

24 July 2002

Heather: What have you been doing, Mother?

Audrey: Spencer gets me. We ride around. Vaughn and Spencer, they work on the trailer (tractor). It is all painted red. They get blue ribbons and trophies (Tractor Pull Competitions).

24 July 2002

Heather: How are you feeling?

Audrey: Gotten kind of old. My arms and hand ache, but I sleep pretty good. I can still read. I love Emily Dickinson’s work. Aunt Alice (Alice Firby Rhodes), she didn’t like Emily Dickinson’s work; she thought there was too much death and sadness in her writing.

30 July 2002

Heather: Well, how are you today?

Audrey: Chris and Barbara from California were here. They also had Stephanie, their daughter, who has been in Liverpool, England. We had a nice visit!  I’m sleeping more than ever. I feel very good. Everything is going along good, no bad spells. Crystal takes care of the quads *once a week. Ernie, he is a worker. There is also the cat and the dog, Buddy. He is so cute. Crystal, she makes sure I have everything I need. I sleep a lot. I lay down more.

* The four babies, Taylor, Loren, Madison and Jordan, were born to Janet Gauvin Messier’s son and daughter in law.  Crystal, as part of her Church’s mission, helps the mother every Wednesday morning.  The quads are now three years old; all healthy, beautiful children. Crystal has become attached to the children and they to her.  Janet was Heather’s good friend in junior high school.  Janet and her brother and sister are the owners of Alpine Nursing Home in Coventry.
30 July 2002

Heather: What are you reading these days?

AudreyAnne of Green Gables is a beautiful story and I am half way through Pride And Prejudice.

7 August 2002

Heather: How are you doing today?

Audrey: Well, I drank cocoa this morning and that has sugar!

7 August 2002

Heather: Oh, a little bit of sugar is O.K. How do you feel about going to Alpine Nursing Home for a respite week?

Audrey: I’ll be happy to be there for a week. It will be fun! I’ll be with Margie. We were always the best of friends. She was married to Stuart, Dad’s older brother. We do not know about Dad’s other brother Robert’s wife, Gladys. She had a bad spell and gave away her land to some creep. Maybe she is dead now. We do not know. Robert, he was sick and too fat and died young. Robert used to go hunting and he would talk with your father. Dad’s oldest brother Donald was great! Your Dad always loved his oldest brother Donald the best. Donald was always good to Dad – when Dad was a kid and all Dad’s life.