Audrey Poe Borden, journalist and educator, was born in Memphis, Tennessee, 15 May 1926 to William Arthur and Ethel Lula (Mincey) Poe, died 18 September 2019, Columbia, Tennessee at the age of 93.  She was a journalist, teacher, artist and storyteller.  Charming, witty and in her day a great southern beauty, she was an independent, inspirational woman widely loved by the community, her students, her family – and her many pets.

A graduate of Memphis State University in 1947, Audrey achieved a master’s degree in 1950 from Columbia Journalism School in New York City and traveled extensively in post-war Europe and the Middle East as a reporter for the Scripps Howard News Agency.

Returning to the U.S., Audrey met her future husband, widower Arthur Murray Borden, an attorney in New York, who had been seeking a Columbia University graduate to assist him on a research project. They were married August 5, 1955.   The article was never written, but this period, too, was transformative. Audrey raised Erica, Ross and Mark, and gave birth to a further three children, Lindsay, Andrew and Anthony.  Audrey cut a dashing figure in the world of New York, with her Delta drawl, fiery red hair and boundless enthusiasm.

Following her divorce in October 1975, Audrey’s affection for Tennessee led her to the farming community of Riverside, Lewis County. Returning to her roots brought her closer to her parents, beloved sister Lucille, brother-in-law Glenn Poague, her brother, Col. Clarence Lee Poe, Sr, and sister-in-law, Alma.

Taking up her original profession, Audrey taught school, and studied for a further degree in special education – a discipline which encapsulated her ethos of giving everyone the best chance in life. Her accomplishments as an educator were recognized in 1987 when Lewis County – on the initiative of a group of students – officially declared an “Audrey Poe Borden Day”.

Over the years, Audrey attended the Riverside and the Hohenwald Churches of Christ. Upon retirement, she enjoyed summer visits from her grandchildren, reprising her role by teaching them to paint, listening to her youngest grandson play guitar and talking over their school and sporting successes.

Throughout an epic life, Audrey believed in the power of words. The daughter of a Church of Christ preacher, she had a deep faith and believed above all in the Bible. She thought deeply and often about Jesus and stories from the Gospels, given depth by her enduring memories of her own travels in that region. For her, Christianity, humanity and the natural world were all expressions of God’s love, and she lived each day perceiving the best in everything – and in everyone. As she said, “Nature is so beautiful, I simply don’t see how anyone could not believe in God.”

She is survived by her stepchildren, Erica, Ross, Mark, and her children Lindsay, Andrew, and Anthony, as well as her eight grandchildren: Jessica, Tess, Meghan, Emma, Elliot, Stefanie, Maxine, and Daniel.

A funeral service will be held at McDonald Funeral Home – Lewis County, on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 10:00 AM, with Rev. Lindsay Borden officiating.  Interment immediately afterward at the Banks Cemetery, Riverside, TN.  Reception will follow at the Riverside Church of Church of Christ Community Room.