by Mark Anthony Espat

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

To her loved ones, Audrey was a queen. A queen of faith, a queen of family, a queen of selflessness.

But she was not the type of queen who was elevated above others. She was royalty in a different sense. The Bible says that those who ruled were to be the humblest and lowliest of people. They had to love justice and righteousness. This was the type of queen that Audrey Margaret Hyde nee Scott was.

Audrey was viewed as a queen by those whom some in our society shun—those in the prison, those who collected her garbage. She embraced them. She made them feel seen. And she would give her last dollar to help any of them — even more so a helpless child.

And thus, her children often think of the scripture at Isaiah 57:15, which says, “For this is what the High and Lofty One says, who lives forever and whose name is holy: ‘I reside in the high and holy place, but also with those crushed and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of those being crushed.” They believe that if this verse could breathe and have flesh and hands and feet, it would have the face of their mom.

Audrey possessed a rare blend of confidence, of courage and of class.

She wore her vibrant soul on her sleeves, and that in turn enriched the souls of so many with whom she engaged.

This was the remarkable life of Audrey Margaret Hyde, nee Scott.

From the formative years at the dockyard on Regent Street West to the beautiful years at Seashore Drive, Audrey Margaret was a woman who somehow, some way, overcame every adversity life threw at her – and this was because of her extraordinary talent, unsurpassable sophistication and unshakeable faith.

Audrey emerged from the distinctive mould of her mother – Ianthe Adolphus – and father, the Guinea Grass native, Maclovio Scott. Audrey was Mama Ianthe’s youngest, and she was sister to Prudence, Jeffery and Raymond, on her mother’s branch; and on her father’s, sister to Yolanda, Peachy and Gilly.

Audrey attended Wesley Primary, but her smarts and savvy would match, some might say outclass, the Ivy League levels of her dearest husband of 54 years, Evan X Hyde.

Audrey revered Mama – Mama’s work ethic, her tidiness, her loyalty to children and her wisdom as to the practicalities of life. Audrey adopted Mama’s values with verve, and raised those values to even higher heights. Befitting their lifelong closeness, Mama Ianthe passed away in Audrey’s arms 20 years ago, in January of 2004.

Audrey and her husband Evan X Hyde met in September of 1967. Evan was home from college with a broken leg. Theirs was not a meeting of chance. A matchmaker was involved. Evan was pointed in Audrey’s direction, as the story goes, by none other than his father, Charles Bartlett, who proclaimed Audrey to be the most beautiful of the young ladies in the neighbourhood. Evan took the advice and pursued the striking beauty. A couple years after CB’s proclamation, Audrey and Evan exchanged vows at St. John’s Cathedral, with Frankie Reneau on piano.

Audrey would be a faithful wife to Evan and devoted mother for the rest of her life. Tifara Rebecca arrived the next year, followed in 1971 by Evan Mose, then in 1978 by Rachael Reeba, and finally, in 1982, by the baby of the family, Eva Ianthe. To say that Audrey was a lioness when it came to her four cubs would be to understate the mightiness of her roar, the purity of her love, and the breadth of her protectiveness. 

She often lamented: “If only my four children were ceramic figurines so I could keep them on the shelf in my room, clean them every day and know they would be safe”. 

Evan refers to Audrey’s moods and her methods as “gears.” Audrey had many gears. Some gentle, some fierce. Her highest gear was reserved for any threat, whether real or imagined, to her four children. You would have been well-advised to steer away from Audrey when she shifted into this gear.

A love of beauty was deep within her. It was reflected in everything she wore, and every choice she made in the management of her home. Meals were prepared methodically, prepared to-time, and the clean-up after every meal was immediate and thorough. Audrey accepted nothing short of her exacting standards for orderliness and tidiness, and she ran her home as if she was managing a five-star hotel. She immersed herself in every aspect of her home and its supply chain, whether sourcing items that were in limited supply at the grocery store, ensuring the fish was fresh and delivered immediately after the fishing boats arrived, or preparing the unique delicacies only she could: conch soup and fritters, creole bread, black cakes. Suffice to say, once you ate from Audrey’s kitchen, you were hooked.

Music was a staple at her home, her palace. Audrey enjoyed music. She loved dancing. And she was the best of dancers. And she was, without exception, her children’s best friend and trusted advisor. And there was no doubt that Audrey ran her palace. Her son-in-law recalls the clear direction from Evan during his introduction to the family: “Here is Audrey’s number. She is the one who runs things,” he said. Evan even assigned names to Audrey to reflect her power in the home. Like Saddam Hussein. Or simply, The Big Boss.  

And, as mentioned earlier, there was Audrey’s advocacy for children. Advice on mothering, nurturing, counselling, clothing came so naturally to Audrey that she would often serve as a trusted guide for new mothers. Children, their innocence and the need to protect them, was her constant clamour.

Many in the Seashore Drive neighbourhood recall with admiration the incident where Audrey stepped in singlehandedly and physically, to save a minor who was being assaulted, putting herself in harm’s way to protect the child until the police arrived.

Such was her care and her courage. 

She was fearless. 

She was relentless. 

More often than not, she was loud, animated, vigorous. 

She was a storyteller par excellence. And she had piercing perception and a quick wit. She gave the type of counsel that was accompanied by the analysis that is often done by a psychologist. Her vivacity itself was incredible when you consider that Audrey was tormented with the ailments of rheumatoid arthritis for almost 40 years. Notwithstanding constant, crippling pain, she was rarely deflated. “One foot ahead of the next,” she would say; “one day at a time.” And she would keep going, driving herself in her “truck”, cutting about town to do her various errands.

Even after she was almost completely confined to her bed, she wielded her influence by telephone, reaching her vast network of contacts to ensure that her home affairs ran smoothly and that so many needy ones received assistance, whether that involved keeping a child in school or ensuring that a patient got the X-ray that was urgent but unaffordable.

Generosity was her middle name. Her son Mose recounts that while in Infant I at Calvary Temple, Audrey mandated that he share his daily lunch, already a paltry serving, with two of his classmates who had no food. She could not countenance poverty without action. This was vintage Audrey. Always preferring to share than to horde.

Lobbying, begging, coercing, sometimes shaming others to be generous and to share. And never for herself. Always for others. She offered solace, and healing for the pain of others, even as she faced her own ceaseless, debilitating pain. She possessed immense credibility because she never hid her own personal challenges – you would be told her plights upfront, openly. She was not the cagey, nuanced type. In a sense, she ran a one-woman philanthropy operation, a ‘kindness shop’ that served the less fortunate.

For sure, this compassion was nourished by her fervent spirituality. Some 45 years ago, she began her journey of faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, a commitment that involved constant Bible study, sharing of the kingdom message with others, and prayer. She was baptised in 1991 and remained committed to her faith until her last breath, when kingdom melodies were sung to her.

She had a beautiful voice, and she sang the kingdom melodies at loud pitch and with all her heart. Her voice was soothing and sweet as she comforted anyone with a broken heart, especially her children. Her daughters have said that there was nothing more compelling or comforting than the sound of their mother’s prayers on their behalf. Those prayers were full of an unflinching faith. At her lowest moments, she would listen to recordings on the JW site, and read material based on the Bible, always wanting to learn more.

Beyond the intimacy of her family – her husband and her four children – Audrey shared a cherished relationship with her assistant, Paul Garnett, and her nephew, Dean Brackett. They were her operatives, Evan would quip—extensions of her palace power. Over her years of illness, there were many who worked with her in her home or served as caregivers. Those included her beloved Maelis, her dearest Elida Nunez, Brenda Lobos, Maria Socorro, and her spiritual sisters Audrey Dawson, and Ramona Allen, and Ngozi. They filled her final years with company and comfort. The medical team led by Dr. Pedro Arriaga performed exceptionally to manage her care and to minimise her pain.

Women like Audrey Margaret can never be replaced; the void can  never be filled. 

Even as she aged, and even as her body faltered, her will remained steely, her presence dominant.

Those she left behind can only pray for the strength to do good by her.

They can only pledge to strive for a small measure of the goodness and the grace she so elegantly possessed. And they can whisper: “Until we meet again, Beloved Lady, enjoy the rest you so richly deserve.”

The family of Audrey Margaret Hyde thanks you all for calling, texting, giving a hug, sending flowers or food to the home, expressing your sympathies, or relating a story about one of her many acts of kindness or bravery.

END

(AMANDALA Ed. Note: Audrey leaves behind her husband of 54 years, Evan X Hyde; children – Tifara Hyde, Evan “Mose” Hyde, Rachael Hyde, Eva Espat, and adopted daughter (niece) Ethel Neal; brothers – Jeffrey Scott and Raymond Scott; two sisters – Prudence Purcell and Yolanda Scott; nephews and nieces – Gina Scott, Shirley Genter, Kwame Scott, Dean Brackett, Kim Purcell, Janice Purcell and Sekou Scott.

Grandchildren – Annika Hyde Santos, Emaun Hyde Hoy, Amari Hyde, Khalil Espat, Salim Espat, Addis Hyde. Great granddaughter – Safiyyah Neal.

She was predeceased by her parents, Maclovio Scott and Ianthe Adolphus; sister, Peachy Scott; and brother, Gilly Scott.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday, February 13th, at 10:00 a.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses on Cemetery Road.

AUDREY MARGARET HYDE, born on June 19, 1949; fell asleep on February 8, 2024.