Audrey Rae (Murray) Speckman, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2015 in Exeter, NH.

Audrey was born July 2, 1925 in Boston MA, the daughter of Raymond and Jennie Murray of Dover, MA. At the tender age of seventeen, she enrolled in the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburg, PA. Audrey’s ambition was to become a civil engineer, but she heeded her father’s advice and studied architecture instead. Upon graduating from college, Audrey interned for a time at an architectural firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico where she worked on the design for a church.

In 1950 Audrey joined the U.S. Navy, where she met a young Naval aviator, LTJG Alfred L. Speckman.  Audrey and Al were married in Needham, MA on Saturday, February 24, 1951.  From February to July 1952, LTJG Audrey Speckman served as Assistant to the Chief of Staff aboard the U.S. Navy troop ship, General RE Callan in the Mediterranean.

Audrey and Al's first child, a son, Curt was born in 1953 in Sommers Point, NJ.  He was followed by a daughter, Karen, born in 1954 in Palo Alto, CA where Al was stationed with the Navy. After the end of the Korean War, Al was hired as a pilot for Eastern Airlines, so he tranferred into the Naval Reserve and the family moved from California to New Orleans, LA.  In 1956 the family moved to Norwood, MA when Al was transferred to Bostan and Logan Airport became his base of operation.  A second daughter, Kim was born in 1958. While Al worked to advance his flying career, Audrey took on the role of full-time homemaker and stay-at-home Mom.    

Audrey was a devoted mother. She possessed all the traditional values and skills of her era – cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening, drawing, and a love of reading. She worked very hard to teach her children good manners, respect, and sound moral values.  She always encouraged her children to pursue their interests and oftentimes put her own interests aside in order to ensure their opportunities.

Among the things in life that Audrey loved most were the ocean, dogs, skiing, travel, flowers, antiques, riding in Al’s vintage 1940 Waco biplane, and participating in any and every crazy escapade conjured up by her children.

Audrey was predeced in death by her parents, a sister Ruth (Murray) Carkeek, and her son, Curt Speckman.  Audrey is survived by her loving husband, Alfred Speckman; her daughter Kim Speckman and her husband Oliver Chapman of Fairbanks, AK; and her daughter Karen Speckman and her husband John Hartford and their children Johanna and Guthrie of Gardner, MA.

It was Audrey’s wish to be cremated. A remembrance gathering may be announced at some future date.  In lieu of flowers please consider memorial donations to either: http://awos.petfinder.com/shelters/NH81.html or http://www.arthritis.org/new-hampshire/