Audrey Gerow

The family of Audrey Marie (Kersten) Gerow of Grand Rapids, Michigan joyfully celebrates her heavenly birth on December 15, 2025. Audrey lived a full and adventurous life, though her final years were touched by the challenges of dementia, which gradually diminished her mental capacities.  Audrey was born on February 25, 1924, in Detroit, Michigan, to Celestia Kuntz. On September 26, 1926, she was lovingly adopted by Herman and Florence Kersten, who raised her with care and devotion. At the age of 67, Audrey was blessed with the opportunity to meet her birth mother and form relationships with several half-brothers and sisters, all of whom preceded her in death.  Audrey’s love of travel and fashion ensured she was always the center of any gathering. Her first job was as a cashier for Kroger Groceries, which required her to travel by train from Detroit to Grand Rapids for training—complete with an overnight stay. That early railroad journey sparked a lifelong passion for travel.  That passion carried her throughout the United States and across the globe, including Europe, the Caribbean, the Hawaiian Islands, the Greek Isles, the Panama Canal, Northern Africa, and South America. Her favorite mode of travel was cruising. Well into her late eighties, she often announced that each upcoming cruise would be her “last,” inviting her children and their families to join her—only to continue cruising for another seven years of nearly back-to-back adventures.  Audrey took great pride in her appearance and delighted in looking far younger than her years. She maintained a standing hair appointment with the same stylist for more than 35 years and always appeared polished and stylish.  Her working life was just as full. While living in Detroit, she welcomed her first two children, Patricia and Michael. After moving to Battle Creek, she added Clifford Alan and Gary Herman to the family. The family later settled on an 80-acre farm in Hastings, where Audrey raised her children while also working from home as a fishing-rod winder for FlexFab.  Audrey loved cooking and experimenting with new recipes, and no one ever left her table hungry. The Mattson farm table always had room for anyone in need of a meal. Fearless and capable, Audrey was never one to shy away from hard work—once enlisting her son Mike to help demolish the interior walls of the family farmhouse in preparation for remodeling.  After leaving the farm and moving to Woodland, Audrey managed the family lumber yard for several years. In 1979, she relocated to Grand Ledge and worked for Dayton-Hudson in the lingerie department, where her keen sense of style earned her a loyal following of returning customers year after year. Upon retiring, Audrey moved to Fort Pierce, Florida, where she lived for 34 years, enjoying the sunshine, freedom from snow, and abundant travel opportunities.  Never believing she would live beyond her eighties, Audrey eventually witnessed not only one but two generations of friends and neighbors pass away in Florida. Recognizing the need to be closer to family, she returned to Michigan in May of 2020, embracing the changing seasons—though she preferred admiring winter’s beauty from indoors, watching Jack Frost display his sparkling snow.  As her dementia progressed, Audrey spent her final two years at Sunrise of Cascade in Grand Rapids, Michigan—returning, fittingly, to the city where her working life had begun 84 years earlier.  Recently, Audrey was honored as a radio guest commentator alongside her son Gary and granddaughter Laurel for the family financial services business, where her no-nonsense financial wisdom is frequently referenced.  Audrey lived an extraordinary 101 years. She was preceded in death by all her parents and siblings, her daughter Patricia (Pat) Lake and son-in-law Bill Lake, her son Clifford Alan Mattson, and her grandniece Nicole Burr.  She is survived by her beloved husband of 26 years, Robert F. Gerow, Jr.; her sons Michael A. Mattson and wife Peggy, Gary H. Mattson and wife Nancy; her grandchildren Adam and Kerri Burr, “Chip” Charles Lake, Kevin Mattson, Jackie (Mattson) and Eric Fann, Stephanie Mattson, Calvin and Erica Mattson, Tracy (Thelen) and Corey Dahms, Laurel (Mattson) and Taylor Steward; along with several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.  Adventurous and generous at heart, Audrey embraced new challenges even late in life—trading in her flip phone for an Apple iPhone at age 90 and mastering it within two weeks.  Audrey’s Christian faith, established in childhood, remained her anchor throughout life. She relied on her faith during difficult seasons and joyfully credited life’s blessings to the Lord.  Per her wishes, Audrey was cremated, and her ashes will be entrusted to her beloved church, First Methodist Church of Vero Beach, Florida.  Audrey was fondly known for saying, “You’re only as happy as your saddest child.”  A Celebration of Life is being planned for late spring or early summer.