Audrey A. Hamilton (nee Steinke), 86, of New Berlin, Wisconsin passed away surrounded by family on August 29, 2022. Beloved wife of Wayne J. Hamilton. Loving mother of Lynn (Stephen) Schober, Steven (Debra) Hamilton, Karen Hamilton, David (Teri) Hamilton, Michael (Karen) Hamilton. Devoted grandma of Jennifer (Todd) Goodwin, Deborah (Michael) Heffner, Gregory (Fernanda) Schober, Bradley (Jen) Hamilton, Briana Hamilton, Cassie (Jeremy) Fronczak, Jessica (Rick With) Aschenbrenner, Pamela (Brandon Chartrand) Aschenbrenner, Kimberly (Tyler) Staab, Daniel (Elizabeth) Hamilton, Sarah Hamilton, Hannah Hamilton, Hayden Hamilton and Haddie Hamilton.  Caring great-grandma of Sam, Lucy, Sophie, Abby, Henry, Elie, Gio, Lainey, Cody, Natalee, Chase, Abbey, Charlotte, Colton, Llewella, Carson and Marjorie. Audrey will be dearly missed by her brother and sister in law Gary and Jackie Hamilton. She is also survived by other relatives and friends.

Preceded in death by her parents Fred and Mona (nee Olson) Steinke; her brother Fred Steinke and her sister Carol Weber.

Audrey devoted her life to Wayne, her husband of 69 years, her 5 children and their spouses, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. Those who knew Audrey will remember her as a selfless, generous, and tender-hearted person who above all, loved her family.

Audrey enjoyed hearing about her family’s day to day experiences. She often found humor in the situations we got ourselves into and we will miss those conversations with her. She was not one to judge and never held a grudge.  Although a quiet person, she did share words of wisdom. One of those was “You’ll make mistakes in life, but if you don’t learn anything from those mistakes, then that’s the mistake.’  We will remember and live our lives according.

Mom was an avid spectator and enjoyed watching any event her family participated in.  With such a large family, her event calendar was kept quite full.  She rarely missed a game, dance competition, cheerleader performance, play or school event.

By default, she was a sports fan.  That said, she did enjoy watching both Marquette and Wisconsin basketball games, Brewer games, Badger and Packer football games.  She and Dad were season ticket holders for the Badgers and Packers.  We’re not sure what she enjoyed more, watching the game, watching the crowd, or walking around looking for all the freebies.  It was always entertaining to hear mom’s perspective after the game about what she enjoyed the most.

Mom’s hobbies included baking, sewing, and decorating. When returning home, you never knew what delicious smell would be coming from the kitchen and what homemade goodies would be for dessert that night.  There is debate within the family if she loved to sew or did it out of necessity.  One thing for sure is that she could take material to make anything new or mend any item needing repair. Her attention to detail lead to her precise sewing skills.  Speaking of precise, her decorating of the Christmas tree was a labor of love.  Each ornament had a special meaning to Mom.  Her meticulous placement of hundreds of strands of tinsel provided a tree that glowed.

Mom really enjoyed shopping but referred to it as “bumming.” She loved taking her coupons and finding a bargain.

Another favorite event was going to watch the Lakefront or New Berlin fireworks. She would “ooh” and “ah” with the best of them.

These are just some of the things we will miss, but the memories will never be forgotten.

When Dad (Wayne) was asked what he wanted to say, his words were, “She meant everything to me.”

We love you Audrey, Mom, Ma, Aunt, Grandma, Great Grandma, and friend.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t end with one of her strongest character traits.  She was thankful for everything.  That said, we wish to thank all the doctors and nurses in the cancer unit at Froedtert and at Zilber hospice for the special care they provided for her.

Visitation at Krause Funeral Home, 12401 West National Avenue, New Berlin, Wisconsin on Monday, September 12, 2022, from 1:00 PM – 3:45 PM. Funeral Service to follow at 4:00 PM. Lite refreshments to follow funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Audrey’s honor can be made to the charity of your choice.