Audrey Joan Kampas, 81, of Baytown, Texas, passed away on February 11, 2018, following a long, hard-fought battle with C.O.P.D.  She was born on June 2, 1936 in Clairton, Pennsylvania, to William A. Bell and Ethel Schwirian-Bell. She and her older sister Phyllis were raised alone by their father, after their mother died in 1940 from cancer, at the early age of 31.

Audrey graduated from Clairton High School in 1954. Her senior yearbook quote read “desires to find a good job…would love to travel around the world, but will settle down when the right man comes along… is wild about motorcycles… love to wear nice clothes.” Audrey never traveled around the world, but she did cover much of the United States: “There’s so much to see here, why travel anywhere else.”

She was an incredibly conscientious and hard worker, with a long, uninterrupted career in retail that continued until a few months before she died; she was employed by Wal-Mart for the last 17 years. Her desire to look good and dress well never ceased and she remained a passionate lover of motorcycles her entire life. Audrey loved the Pittsburgh Steelers. She made annual donations to the “Wounded Warrior Project” and cared passionately about the U.S. military. But most important to her were her three children, who she loved very much and made sacrifices for her entire life, to help make their lives better.

Audrey was preceded in death by her parents, sister Phyllis (Bell) Johnson, son Carl Bittner, first husband Edmund Bittner, Sr., second husband James Kampas, Sr., and life-partner for over 26 years Willard “Woody” Martin, with whom she lived until his death in 2000.

She is survived by her daughter Karen Peairs, son James Kampas, grandchildren: Christina Christenberry, Chad Bittner, Rachael Kampas, Melody Kampas and Cathy Leija, five great-grandchildren, niece Kathy Farabough, nephew Gregg Johnson, and her life-long friend Gail Gillie, who was always there for her until the end.

At her request, Audrey‘s remains were cremated, and her ashes were spread over the desert landscape in Palm Springs, California, where she enjoyed visiting regularly.

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