Former King City resident, Audrey Meurer, passed away peacefully in her sleep November 22, 2017 at Mee Memorial Hospital.  Audrey was born to Frank T. and Mary Tunzi on December 5, 1925 in a little house on the family farm that is now the King City Park, Golf Course and Fair Grounds.  She attended Kindergarten through eighth grade at San Lorenzo School and graduated from King City High School. After high school her parents sold the King City property and moved to a ranch in Mendocino County in 1947. Audrey joined them for a short time before returning to King City.

Upon her return she and a girlfriend rented a small cottage behind the Top Hat Bar.  She found one of the bartenders, Joe Meurer, quite attractive. He was equally smitten.  After a short courtship the couple married on January 3, 1949. They were married for 63 years until Joe's death in 2012.

Shortly after their marriage they took over ownership of the Top Hat, first with George Ingham and later as sole owners. In 1967 Joe and Audrey switched from filling bar stools to selling them when they opened Meurer's Furniture. Those in the know found it to be a great place to stop in for a mid morning and mid afternoon coffee break and get an update on the local news.

Audrey and Joe loved to travel. They liked nothing better than to climb into their R.V. and go off on a grand adventure. After retirement they toured almost every state in their little Dolphin motor home.  On one of their trips they fell in love with the state of Oregon. They sold their house, packed up their belongings and moved to Cottage Grove.

Audrey was very active in both St. John's Catholic Church and the King City community. She was always there for her children. She was a Cub Scout leader, little league volunteer and an active member of the Mother's Club at St. John's School.  With Joe she delivered Meals on Wheels and passed out food in the Brown Bag Program in King City.  She continued her volunteer work when they moved to Oregon

Audrey loved to win. It didn't matter if it were a friendly game of Pedro or the slot machines in Vegas; she was incredibly lucky.  If she went to an event where there were prizes, she invariably won at least one.  Some of her more notable wins were propane bar-b-cues, TVs, DVD players, and a car.  But most of all she loved Bingo.  She played up until the day before her death.

She enjoyed flowers and gardening.   She discovered that the Oregon climate was conducive to Hydrangeas and Rhododendrons.  It was not uncommon for strangers to ask if they could take a picture in her front yard.  Her house was once featured as Garden of the Week on the local news.

But more than anything else, Audrey loved family, especially her three grandchildren.  She was an integral part of their lives.  Any activity or performance they were in, she was front row, center.  It is impossible to count how many ballgames, plays, ballet recitals, or school events she attended.

In 2015 she returned to California.  First she lived in a residential center managed by her granddaughter, Denise.  Later as her health declined she moved to Salinas to Brookdale's Assisted living facility. Her California return allowed her to see more of her family including the newest addition, her great-granddaughter Valentina.  This last June she once again was in the audience to watch Valentina dance in The Toy Story.  It didn't matter that Valentina was on stage less than 5 minutes, Audrey declared her the cutest one there.

On November 1 ^st . a mild heart attack caused Audrey to enter Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, she was later transferred to Mee Memorial.  Although her spirit was fighting to continue to live and return to the Brookdale Community, her body was just too tired.

She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Final service will be held at Cottage Grove at a later date. There will be no King City service.  The family asks that any donations in her name be made to a charity of your choice, St. John's Catholic Church, 504 N. Thirtd St., King City, CA 93930 or Monterey County Agricultural Rural Life Museum (MCARLM), P.O. Box 644, 1160 Broadway St., King City, CA 93930.

She was preceded in death by her parents Frank T. and Mary and, her husband, Joe Meurer, her brother, Frank M. Tunzi, sister, Evelyn, and stepson Joe Meurer Jr.  She is survived by her sister, Margaret Jacobsen, of San Jose, her son, Gary (Jerry) Meurer of Redding, daughter, Karen (David) Park of King City, Grandsons, Nicholas (Janet) Park of Santa Clara, Michael (Amanda) Park of North Hollywood, granddaughter, Denise Park of Colorado, and her great-granddaughter, Valentina Park, of Santa Clara.