Long-time supporter and Friend of the CPSO, Audrey Creed, was so described in
the funeral eulogy following her December death, aged 99.
Audrey studied with Dr Hopkins of Peterborough Cathedral. By her early 20s she passed her ‘letters,’ ALCM and LLCM, also winning the cup for highest-marked pianist in the country.
She set up a local teaching school, instructing many hundreds of local pupils, some of whom followed her in making music their career. She was a music instructor in secondary schools, including Stanground. She continued with private teaching into her 90s, concentrating on piano and organ, but also guitar and trumpet.
Audrey married Don, who worked at Baker Perkins and they had two children, Mandy and Kevin. She took pleasure in her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Audrey was an avid traveller. As a family they travelled all over Europe by train. Later Audrey and Don travelled to many long-haul destinations.
When Don died in 1994, she forged a new life with the U3A, with music, but also with the travel club, canal painting, crafting, and gardening. She formed an affiliated U3A group -‘Rhythm Airs’. They performed in the city, churches and care homes, on a range of instruments, raising money for charity. Their success meant they outgr ew Audrey’s front room and developed into a major ensemble which Audrey led for over twenty years.
Audrey was a jazz enthusiast and she had syncopation lessons from her cousin who had learnt the style in America. She became one of the relatively few exponents of Dixieland jazz on the piano, and even after her health failed, she still met with two friends to ‘jam’. Following her funeral, they accompanied her to her grave, playing “As the Saints”. Audrey regularly attended the Tuesday recitals in St John’s Church, Peterborough.
During her later years, Audrey found much solace in St John the Baptist’s Church, Werrington and made many friends. The Vicar, Rev Sue Fear, said “Audrey was ahead of her time, that really resonates, she was clearly musically gifted, she showed determination, independence and resilience, she had a joy for life and jazz, she was a very kind and dear lady to many of us”.
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