Audrey Fay McGinnis Obituary
Audrey Fay (Bennett) McGinnis entered into eternity Friday, February 23, 2018, with loving family gathered around her bedside at McLaren Hospital in Flint, Michigan. A celebration of her life will take place at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, at Martin Funeral Home, 1194 E. Mt. Morris Road, Mt. Morris, Michigan, with Bishop Bruce Badder officiating.
Visitation will take place at the funeral home on Monday, February 26, from 3-7 p.m. and one hour prior to the service on February 27. Audrey was born at home in East Jordan, Michigan, to John and Ledah (Barnes) Bennett on Tuesday, February 11, 1930, third of their four children. At the time of her birth and childhood, East Jordan was a small rural farming community and Audrey shared many memories of barefoot days fishing in the creek, picking wild berries, helping with farming chores, baking bread, and visiting with extended family.
Her teenage years found her roller skating, hitchhiking to dances, and making memories with her brothers and sister. After the Second World War ended and the boys began returning home, Audrey met Vernon McGinnis from Charlevoix. On December 14, 1946, Vernon and Audrey were married and soon started a family. In 1950, Vernon and Audrey moved to Flint, Michigan, where Vernon began working for AC Spark Plug and Audrey cared for their rapidly growing family which grew to include two daughters and seven sons.
In 1968, the family moved to Mt. Morris, Michigan, where they lived for another 30 years and continued to raise their family. Vernon and Audrey celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 14, 1996, and Vernon passed away on July 19, 1998. After his passing, Audrey married Marvin McGinnis on February 14, 2000. Audrey and Marvin enjoyed fifteen years of companionship prior to Marvin's death on November 1, 2015.
Audrey loved to garden, to hunt for morel mushrooms, to help chop wood, to work in her beautiful flowers, and to take rides throughout her beloved Michigan, especially to East Jordan and Charlevoix. She was always ready for a new adventure and relished a ride on a seadoo, a car ride with the top down, or a walk on a swinging bridge.
Fishing, boating, or anything outdoors filled her with joy. Whatever was happening, it was always sweeter for her with the people she loved who loved her back. Family came in first place and she was affectionately known as one of the McGinnis "baby hogs." Left to mourn are Audrey's children, Sherry Schmalenberg, Traverse City; Vernon McGinnis, Jr. (Debbie), Burton; Orval McGinnis, Davison; Mickey McGinnis (Candance), Flint; Bradley McGinnis (Diana), Mt. Morris; and Ramona Smith, Davison.
She has a very large number of loving grandchildren, great grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. She was well loved by Marvin's children, Jean (Dick) Mason; Joyce (Al) Roberts; Mike (Margery) McGinnis; and Bonnie (Kevin Snider). Audrey was preceded in death by her two husbands, her parents, three of her sons (Alton, Timothy, and Darrell), her two brothers (Warren and Jackson), and three of her grandsons (Vernon McGinnis III, Chad Connor, and Ryan Ennik).
