Memorial Service
Broadmoor Country Club-
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Email Details
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2155 Kessler Blvd West Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46228
1933
Audrey
2018
Audrey Grossman
July 13, 1933 — February 18, 2018
Audrey K. Grossman died peacefully in her sleep at home in Indianapolis on February 18. She was 84 years old. Her husband, Martin Grossman, died the day before. Both were surrounded by their three children, David (of St. Louis), Joan (of New York) and Daniel (of San Francisco).
Audrey was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1933. Her father, Abraham, was a Jewish immigrant from Poland, who ran a number of small businesses. Her mother, Gertrude, worked in a defense factory during World War II and later as a secretary. Audrey had one younger brother, Arvin.
At the age of 16, Audrey began her studies at Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in European Literature in Translation. She was the first woman editor of Student Life, the university's student newspaper. Audrey wrote editorials that criticized the racist practices of student fraternities and sororities, and under her leadership Student Life announced the admission of the first African-Americans to the university with the largest headline the paper had ever published. She graduated in 1953 and studied in Bordeaux, France, for a year as a Fulbright Scholar.
In 1955 she met Martin Grossman and discovered they both patronized one of the few racially integrated restaurants in St. Louis. They married in 1956 and moved to Indianapolis shortly thereafter. Audrey was an editor with TV Guide until the birth of David in 1957. In the 1960s, she was active in the cooperative nursery school that David and Joan attended, and with Martin participated in many social justice activities at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. When Daniel started grade school in 1974, Audrey began law school at I.U.P.U.I. and went into practice with a focus on family law, which she enjoyed immensely. She became a highly respected family law attorney, and was among the first in her field in Indianapolis to work as a mediator, helping clients avoid costly litigation. Her final case was argued and won before the Indiana Supreme Court in 2010. She retired at the age of 77. Audrey's life story is archived in the collection of The Indianapolis Women's Oral History Project at the Indiana Historical Society.
Audrey had a passion for theater, politics, books, and bridge. She loved travel, and together with Martin, she visited almost every continent of the world on numerous cruises, despite the limitations of long-term rheumatoid arthritis. She was a friend to many, and maintained an extended family of friends that reached back to when she and Martin first moved to Indianapolis. Audrey was a loving grandmother to her five grandchildren - Jasper, Izzi, Jesse, Eva, and Alice. In retirement she and Martin were enthusiastic bridge players and became Life Masters in 2016.
Along with her children and grandchildren, Audrey is survived by her brother, Arvin, who lives in Dallas, Texas.
A memorial for both Martin and Audrey will be held on Sunday, February 25, at 1:30pm, at Broadmoor Country Club, 2155 Kessler Blvd W. Dr., in Indianapolis. Cantor Janice Roger will officiate.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Audrey Grossman, please visit our flower store.
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