Light, love, compassion, avid gardener, friend, great smile, sense of humor, welcoming, loved everyone, served others, loved her church, loving mother and grandmother – these words and descriptions come up over and over again when you talk to anyone about Audrey “Mimi” Breedlove, a beloved member of the Cashiers-Glenville community who passed away this summer just shy of her 102nd birthday.
She is fittingly being remembered with a tribute garden near the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library/Post Office area in Cashiers, which will be dedicated on November 6 at 11:00 A.M.
Born in 1923 to Laura and Nathan Norris, Audrey grew up on a farm in the Mill Creek area. She graduated from Glenville School in May 1942.
Soon thereafter, she married her high school sweetheart, Cameron Breedlove. A match made in heaven, they spent their lives on Cedar Creek, except for the years of World War II. After the war, they returned to Glenville, built their home, had their daughter, Marlene (Fowler), and established deep roots and a lasting legacy.
Marlene remembers that her parents loved people, never met a stranger, and had hearts for service. They were members of Hamburg Baptist Church, where Cameron served as a deacon and Audrey taught Sunday School, with both spending many additional hours helping at the church or maintaining the cemetery. He was a charter member of the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad, and she was a charter member of the Rescue Auxiliary.
It was not unusual for Cameron to invite people over for a meal, knowing that Audrey would always happily set an extra place. She knew everyone, and her hospitality and close friendships earned her the nickname, The Mayor.
She attended cosmetology school in Asheville in 1957. After graduation, she worked for a short time in Highlands and soon opened Audrey’s Beauty Parlor, next to Tommy’s Restaurant in Cashiers, which she operated until retirement.
Cameron passed away in 1989, and Audrey continued to live in their home for over 30 years, keeping the home repaired, the lawn cared for, and tending her flower and vegetable gardens. Her dahlias were legendary. She continued to work in her church and community, even traveling to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help the Red Cross with disaster relief.
It was during this time that Audrey and her neighbors formed what they lovingly called the “Porch Sitters’ Club”. Her neighbors loved to stop by and enjoy a cup of coffee or a meal, conversation, and Audrey’s pearls of wisdom and sense of humor.
Conversation often turned to gardening, and Dr. David Fowler remembers her telling him with a twinkle in her eye, “You may be a doctor, but I am the doctor of dirt.”
Debbie Sheaf considers herself blessed to have had two mothers-her birth mother and Mimi, her kindred spirit mother.
Joining Dr. Fowler and Ms. Sheaf, fellow porch sitters Heather Fowler, Larry and Pam Benson, John and Mary Ann Heussner, and Jim and Patricia Webb are spearheading the tribute garden, which will include a Japanese maple, Audrey’s favorite.
Join them on November 6 for the dedication and visit the memorial often to reflect on the importance of good neighbors and a heart of love, and remember Mimi.