December 22, 1939 – January 28, 2026

We are sad to share the news that Audrey Grescoe, née Patterson, left us after being admitted to Vancouver General Hospital with a case of pneumonia. She was a devoted wife to Paul Grescoe for sixty years, loving mother to Lara (Justin) and Taras (Erin), and a doting grandmother to Desmond and Victor. Audrey was the daughter of John Gracey Patterson and Elsa Kathleen Patterson (née Hamilton), and older sister to Bruce Patterson and Karen Candlish.

Born in Hamilton, Audrey attended McMaster University, before working as a reporter for the Hamilton Spectator, where she met her future husband Paul.

She was a co-founder of Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton magazines, and, as an editor at Western Living Magazine, and later as a freelance editor for hire, she was an exacting mentor to writers in western Canada. Audrey was also the author of several books, including anthologies of Canadian correspondence (co-written with Paul), and Giants, about the great trees of the Pacific Northwest, as well as a series of children’s books (including Victor and the Dream Boat and Where in the World is Desmond?) much loved by her grandsons.

Audrey was gifted with a dry sense of humour, innate style and grace, and sparkling intelligence. In her last week, she was surrounded by family. She is deeply missed.