Audrey Pryor Johnson, 82, died peacefully in her Ettrick, WI home on September 2, 2022 surrounded by her family.

Audrey was born in Chicago, IL, in 1940 to Joseph and Marie Pryor. Her family moved to Island Lake, WI in 1952 and then settled in Holmen, WI in 1954. She was a graduate of the 1958 Holmen High School and was given the DAR award.

Audrey had many varied interests. In 1962 she swam for Winona State College.  While attending UW-La Crosse, she taught ballroom dancing for Arthur Murray Studios. People would clear the floor for her and a partner while dancing at the Avalon Ballroom in La Crosse.  In the early 1960's she became an ambassador for La Crosse as she filled in as Miss La Crosse.

In 1967, Audrey married Larry Johnson (Galesville). They owned a farm in the French Creek valley (Ettrick) and later also in Sparta.  Larry and Audrey began the Lorilynn Christmas Tree Farm and Audrey was well known for her beautiful fresh, handmade wreaths.  Decorating and enjoying a Christmas Tree was one of her most loved traditions.

She also cared for the family horses and dogs with much love and devotion.  Her daughters were both involved in 4H and High School Rodeo.  Audrey was a leader in both the cooking and sewing projects, and spent many hours at the Monroe County Fair.  She volunteered often to run food stands at many rodeo and horse show events.  Both daughters knew she would be in the stands watching.  She continued this support for both grandchildren by attending music and sporting activities. County Fairs were a favorite event as she enjoyed seeing the skills of community members.

Audrey helped to develop the Monroe County History Museum and was the director for 23 years.  During her tenure it was moved from the Rolling Hills County building to its current downtown building.  Many of the exhibits and the design for the space was overseen by Audrey.  Helping people find genealogical data sparked her interest in pursuing her own search of ancestors.  She traveled to several countries to do her research and found ancestors back to the 1600s.

Her love of military history, especially WWII, led her to procuring a large military library and often visiting her local library. She enjoyed visiting Pearl Harbor and many US Navy ships and supported veterans of all services.  She was very proud to be involved in the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW club in Ettrick.

Audrey and Larry were members of the French Creek Lutheran Church (Ettrick), Trinity Lutheran Church (Sparta) and Olivet Lutheran Church (LaCrosse).  She taught many years of Sunday School, volunteered to serve at many funerals, and was usually involved in a Bible Study.  Reading and sharing from the Bible were part of her daily activities. She prayed ardently for those she knew and loved as well as for those that govern, serve, and maintain our communities.

When Audrey was not reading a book, she was in her gardens and feeding the birds.  She supported the Trempealeau County Humane Society and the Houston, MN International Owl Center.  She loved to cook and entertain for family events and hosted high school reunions. Audrey was most happy when reading a book to a child (especially her grandchildren) or making her famous pizza for the family. The quote, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need" (Cicero) was on her refrigerator.

Audrey will be missed by many in her community.  Her perseverance in surviving cancer two times and her willingness to serve her family and friends as much as she could made her someone who truly lived, "This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Audrey was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Jerry (Joyce) Pryor (Holmen) and her daughter Lorilei (Dan) Eoriatti.  She is survived by her husband Larry, her daughter Linnaea (Tim) Lawrence and her grandchildren Nathan and Jenna Lawrence (River Falls, WI) as well as her sister Andrea (Paul) Harkins (Marshfield, WI) and her brother Roger (Jan) Pryor (Bellevue, WA).

Memorials will be made in her honor to the Trempealeau County Humane Society as well as other favorite charities supported by Audrey.  You may also donate to your own local library in her name as she loved using the library in Ettrick.

A memorial service will be held on October 15 at 11:00 at Olivet Lutheran Church in LaCrosse.  10:00 visitation.  Lunch to follow.