With heavy hearts we announce that Audrey Ochs Kiendl crossed the heavenly bridge on September 30, 2026, at the age of 97. She passed peacefully two weeks after a fun birthday party in her honor with family and friends. She had a wonderful life and was ready to join her husband, Phil; brother, Lou; sister, Lou-Ella; and all of her friends, family and pups who predeceased her. She outlived them all and missed them dearly. She is in a better place, free of pain and anxiety and soaring high to the heavens.
Audrey was born on September 12, 1929, in Webster Groves, Mo., which is a small suburb of St. Louis. From a young age she loved the barns, cows and farms in that area, as well as the farm families who knew and loved her growing up. Her family had a summer cottage on Lake Ida in Alexandria, Minn. They would spend every summer there hunting and fishing on the lake with her beloved brother, Lou Jr., and father, Papa Lou Ochs. She was an outdoor girl from the beginning and could tramp through the woods or fish all day, rise at dawn, and do it again. Her happiest days were spent there on Lake Ida in the family camp.
She was educated first in Webster Groves, then decided to see the world and traveled, by herself, to finish her schooling in Lausanne, Switzerland.
A beautiful young girl with sparkling blue eyes, she was unafraid of the armed German soldiers at the train stations who let her pass without question. Her love of all things Swiss endured throughout her life, and her Swiss friends were always in touch and visiting.
Then came a move to New York City, where she met Phil, her husband of 54 years — a dashing young pilot fresh out of the U.S. Air Force, where he flew B-17 and B-29 heavy bombers. They had a plane of their own and flew frequently to Vermont for ski trips. They spent time at Aspen and then married on February 14, 1952. They had a son, Phil Jr., and they took him on their ski trips, which became a passion for him after learning to ski in Woodstock, Vt.
In 1966 they purchased the Barnacle Inn on Nantucket Island along with two other couples who were all best friends from Manhattan. The group ran it together for a number of years before Audrey and Phil became sole proprietors in 1983. She loved the ocean and the island. She served as president of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce in 1974, when they originated the now-famous Christmas Stroll. In her time on Nantucket, she made friendships for life. She treasured those memories. Her sharp mind could still remember details the rest of us had forgotten right up to the end.
After a long career of innkeeping, she and Phil moved to the Mad River Valley in Vermont to retire. Their beautiful home in Fayston reflects her talents of interior design and landscaping. Her last years were spent at Chestnut Place in Berlin, Vt. She loved her apartment there, her aides and the other residents.
Audrey was a people person in every respect. Her charm and class showed brightly to all who were lucky enough to be in her world. She was always helping, consoling and sending positive energy to all who knew her. She is survived by her son, Philip Jr.; daughter-in-law, Suzanne; nephews, Jeffrey Ochs and Louis Ochs III; grandchildren, Brooke Kiendl Ulbrich (spouse Dave) and Trey Kiendl (spouse Anna-Grace); great-grandchildren, Chase, Summer and Tucker Ulbrich and Wolf Theodore Kiendl; and her extended family, the Websters and Dionnes.
Especially, we would like to thank Pearl, who cared for Audrey for seven years, and her aides Karen, Mae, Jackie and the rest of the staff and hospice nurses at Chestnut Place. Services will be private in early November.
Contributions can be made to Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice or the Ice Center of Washington West.