Audrey Vernell McWhorter, 91, was the beloved wife of Gerald Eugene McWhorter for nearly 60 years; cherished mother of Kathleen and Donald; cherished grandmother of Dannel (Karla) Egert, Christina (Christopher) Delaney, Tiffany (Michael) Hutchens and Brian McWhorter; loving great-grandmother of Kevin, Michael, Cristhel, Zander and Daniela; dear sister of the late Marvin Iverson.
Audrey was born September 25, 1929, in Chicago to Dagmar (nee Grimm) and Lambert Iverson and passed away on Monday, September 13, 2021, in Arlington Heights, IL.
Major Audrey McWhorter was a member of the National Baton Twirling Association (NBTA) and was responsible for running the National Championship Corps Competition for 20 years and is in the Baton Twirling Hall of Fame in Janesville, WI. She worked as a tax consultant and was manager for H&R Block for 20 years. She taught tax consultants and became an Enrolled Agent of the IRS. She finished her career as an independent tax preparer for an additional 20 years. Audrey and Jerry belonged to Square Dancing Club, Corvette Club and Winnebago Clubs and held leadership roles as either the President, Vice President, or Treasurer.
Most important to them was their family which always came first; teaching values of honesty, fairness, loyalty and to stand up for others and what you believe in.
Audrey left a legacy of love and many students who to this day still remark on how much Audrey meant to them and how she was such a critical person in their lives.
FACEBOOK REMEMBRANCE
Audrey began twirling in 1940 and her instructor was Major Charles W. Boothe. She was the director of two Illinois corps, The Vernells, and later, The Norridge Hi-Lighters. When her career as a corps director was over, Audrey became the director of the NBTA’s National-World Corps Competition and held that position for over 30 years. It is because of Audrey that captions on corps score sheets were judged separately and she had the original idea for the annual Corps Prince & Princess competition at AYOP. She is a member of the Baton Twirling Hall of Fame in Janesville, Wisconsin and will be remembered for her toughness when it was necessary, the soft spot she had for the up-and-coming corps and their directors and her dedication to corps twirling.
Audrey left a legacy of love and many students to this day still remark on how much she meant to them and how she was such a critical person in their lives. Like most baton instructors she didn’t just teach her students how to march and twirl a baton; she taught lessons for life.
