Audrey Giannini

Audrey was born on January 20, 1933, in Brooklyn, NY and grew up living above her parents’ deli. 

She first met her husband, Frank Giannini (1931-2022), when they were kids at church. She would wait to board the subway until she saw her crush through the train car window. They would holds hands, and continued holding hands for 70 years of loving marriage.

Audrey and Frank moved to the Pines Lake community of Wayne, NJ in 1961 where they raised their family. Audrey spent most of her career working as a cosmetics sales associate at Stern’s department stores, although her favorite job was being a devoted mother to her four children.

Audrey was fun, caring, and good at everything she tried—from ceramics and flower arranging, to sewing and square dancing, and of course cooking. Her legendary pot-roast, butter-cake, and other recipes are now memorialized in a family cookbook. 

Audrey’s life-long commitment to Preakness Reformed Church (PRC)—from her active role in the PRC Women’s Group, heading up the Parish Life commission with Frank, and many years as youth group leader— set an example of devoted stewardship for the entire community.

Audrey was always happiest when hosting family and friends, first in Wayne, and then at their family-built retirement home on Lake Bomoseen in Vermont. Whether boating, hiking, and playing lawn games in the summer, or skiing, skating, and playing card games in the winter, their lake home was always full of love and life and became a frequent and favorite gathering place for their family.

For 30 years, “Bomoseen” became short-hand for everything wonderful in the life of the extended Giannini family. We can still see Frank mowing the lawn, Audrey cooking something amazing, and loved ones sitting by the fire.

There is nothing Audrey loved more than her friends, her family, and her Frank.

She is survived by her children, Bob (late Lori) of Middlebury, CT, Bill (Liz) of Highland Lakes, NJ, Ron (Melony) of Lighthouse Point, FL and Kathy Curtin (Ted) of Wayne, NJ.; her grandchildren, Andrea Brunner (Andy Orlando) of New Milford, CT, Valerie Beard (Len) of Southbury, CT, Robyn Giannini (Charles Tsang) of New York, NY, Alissa Giannini of Driggs, ID, Peter Giannini (Erin) of Bloomingdale, NJ, Kelly Cohen (Josh) of Washington, DC and Jim Curtin (Baileigh Carter) of Chantilly, VA; and her great grandchildren, Katelyn, Bill, Leah, Harleigh, Maddie, Kyle, Alex and Ryan. She is also survived by nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: PreaknessReformed Church Memorial Fund, 131 Church Lane, Wayne, NJ 07470.