Audrey Hinger

Madison - Audrey Schmitz Hinger left this life on February 5, 2022, at the Brookdale West and joins her beloved husband George on the next phase of their journey into Sacred Mystery.

Audrey Schmitz Hinger was born on May 18, 1927, to Clarence and Clementine (Rzeszotarski) Schmitz in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended Bay View High School where she was the literary editor of the school newspaper. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin in Clinical Child Development.

Audrey worked as a clinical child psychologist at the Eau Claire Guidance Center. She was also a part-time school psychologist in the Eau Claire school district. She served on the Board of Directors of the Eau Claire County Association for Mental Health. She later worked as a clinical psychologist at the LaCrosse County Guidance Clinic. In addition to her work at the clinic, she was an instructor in Psychology at the UW LaCrosse. Following this Audrey worked as a Child Services Consultant with the Wisconsin Division of Mental Hygiene in Madison. Audrey was a well-respected speaker on the subject of child psychology.

In August 1972, she married her great love, George Hinger. She and George were active in Good Shepherd Parish and also members of St. Benedict Center, now Holy Wisdom Monastery. She was active in the organization Church Women United. With her own funds and those raised by Church Women United, Audrey’s special mission each Christmas season was to carefully select and purchase books for women in prison and halfway homes and their children. She and George would personally deliver them. She and George were also involved in the Luke House Meal program for over 20 years.

Audrey was a gourmet cook and had a great collection of cookbooks. Audrey and George are fondly remembered for the many years that they fixed lamb for members of Sunday Assembly at St. Benedict’s for the Holy Thursday meal. While they had no children of their own, they embraced the many children of St. Benedict Center/Holy Wisdom Monastery and Good Shepherd Parish as well as their numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Rochelle and her beloved husband George.

She leaves behind three cousins: Fr. Thomas Reske, Joy Kilimann, and Ralph Reske; her sisters-in-law, Anita Schillak (John), Juanita Hinger; and 19 nieces and nephews.

Audrey was grateful for the compassionate care of the staff at Brookdale West, SSM Hospice, and her many friends from Good Shepherd Parish and Holy Wisdom Monastery who have supported her, especially in the last few years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at GOOD SHEPHERD CATHOLIC PARISH at ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, 1905 W. Beltline Highway, Madison, on Friday, February 11, 2022, at 10:00 am with a short reception to follow. At a later time, her ashes will be interred in the Columbarium at Holy Wisdom Monastery next to her husband George.

Memorials can be made to Good Shepherd Parish, Holy Wisdom Monastery, or Luke House.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Road

(608) 238-3434