Audrey Smith

Audrey June (Whetstone) Smith, age 90, of Winona, MN, died peacefully Sunday, February 15, 2026, at Sugar Loaf Memory Care.

Audrey was born June 27, 1935, at home in Winona, MN, the daughter of Donald and Lorraine (Knoll) Whetstone. She was the second oldest of her 7 siblings. She graduated from Winona Senior High School. She was united in marriage to Vilas Smith, Jr. on June 4, 1955, in Winona, and they raised 3 sons together in Galesville, WI. The couple later divorced. Audrey was named Mother of The Year in Galesville. She worked as a bookkeeper for the family business for many years. She also was a church secretary for 27 years for Pastor R. Steven Krueger, working on various committees for First Presbyterian Church in Galesville and Grace Presbyterian Church in Winona, MN. She was also a volunteer at Winona Health, logging 2500+ hours over the years. Audrey never got her drivers license (despite the efforts of her best friend, Bev Modals, in trying to teach her), so she was an avid walker throughout her life.

Audrey is survived by her 3 sons: Steven (Mary Sorenson) Smith of Trempealeau, WI, Terry (Sheri) Smith of Louisville, KY, and Joey (Becky) Smith of Rochester, MN; 5 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and 4 step-great-grandchildren; brother, Wes Whetstone; and sister-in-law, Chris Whetstone.

She is preceded in death by her parents; sisters: Marlene and Judy; and brothers: Jerry, Lyle and Skip.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Grace Presbyterian Church in Winona, MN.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at 12:00pm at Hoff Celebration of Life Center in Winona, MN. Visitation will be held 2 hours prior to the service, from 10:00am – 12:00pm at the funeral home. A luncheon will follow immediately after the service. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery.