Audrey Hall Mendoza

passed away on Thursday, June 4, 2015 at Fir Acres care home on Bainbridge Island, Washington. She was born on August 6, 1926 and was 88 years of age.No services will be held. Memorial contributions can be made to the Helpline House on Bainbridge Island or West Sound Wildlife Shelter at www.Westsoundwildlife.org. Arrangements entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home.My mom was "my heart, my soul my life's inspiration." Her "insatiable curiosity" astounded and inspired me. Her being able to connect so easily with people from all walks of life, her compassionate caring for causes close to home and far away, defined her as a global citizen. I was so proud of her.I treasured the relationship she establish with my students, year after year, for over 40 years. There she lived, tucked away in her Santa Cruz Mountain's cozy cottage nestled in her beloved redwood forrest. My students knew her as, "Nanie". Each school year would start with the arrival of a package, covered with stickers and addressed to MS MENDOZA'S STUDENTS. Inside, a picture book, dedicated to them and their year with me. Each book ALWAYS had a powerful theme and message that led into thoughtful and valuable discussions. Thus began our annual pen-pal exchanges. Meaningful, carefully written and illustrated thank you notes, sharing their reflections about the story, were created. What students wrote MATTERED and so the quality of their investment was naturally quite high.My mom was an important component of my curriculum on so many levels. She enriched their learning, inspired them to read and write with conviction, purpose and pleasure. She delighted in hearing me talk about my teaching. Phone calls from the classroom, videos, songs, poetry, stories were shared. To this day, my students remember her.These recent photos, with several kids in our after school program visiting her at Island Rehab and then taking a stroll around her Fir Acres neighborhood... show my mom at her happiest and most vibrant state, easily engaging with the and, each one of them a special treasure for her. She even led a mini lesson in plant identification! I was FOREVER amazed at how she could hold onto plant names that float in and out of MY mind... I think I'd better head out right now and purchase another astilbe, before I forget the name again!Mom's last two weeks of life were wonderful and treasured memories. She is at peace and for that, so are we.My family is very appreciative of the compassionate care she received since we moved her up from Santa Cruz in February. Wyatt House, Island Rehabilitation and Fir Acres, on behalf of my family, we thank you.Alice MendozaI will never forget sitting in front of the television, years ago, watching 60 Minutes and Andy Rooney did his little bit at the end of the show. His topic on this night was a letter he had read on the air that he had written to President Bush concerning the war in Iraq. Andy had taken the president to task for his deception, among other things, and was now reaping the fall out from that letter. People were angry, and he was inundated with nasty emails and voice messages. He played some of the worst of the messages, read some of the emails, and they were not very nice. He then said that he did have some supports and played just one message, left on his phone. He began playing the message and I immediately yelled to Alice, "ALICE, YOUR MOM IS ON 60 MINUTES!" Audrey had left a very supportive message for Andy and he was very appreciative for that support.This was SO your mom. She was an activist politically, environmentally, supported human rights, animal rights, anyone that was marginalized, and she did all of this from her chair, at her desk, looking out from her window at the Redwood trees that she loved so much. She didn't march, she didn't carry signs, she just quietly supported her many causes by calling her congressman, calling support groups, calling Andy Rooney, and then feeding a family of feral kittens in an alley. Global, National, and Felton issues were all on her agenda and she cared deeply for them all.She was a researcher and never went into cause blind, but dug into the background and retrieved the facts. You all know that she could talk about most anything and everything and AT GREAT LENGTH, and sometimes it was hard to get back to, "So mom, what would you like for dinner? She didn't care about her clothing, food, anything that was trending at the time, none of it mattered. She didn't collect things, other than many, many biographies, and she didn't leave much behind, other than a legacy of commitment to her causes.Your mother was a solo performer in many ways, and controlled her life that way, but she loved you all deeply, loved us all deeply and I will have fond memories of our visits to Ashley St. in Felton.Take care of yourselves and love to you all.Carl