Dancing off the obit page

Reprinted from CFP August, 1999 Even in their obituary, some people go dancing off the page. Such was the case for Kenneth and Audrey Austin, the Grimaldis, husband and wife stars of vaudeville and variety from the 1930s and '40s, whose star shine never dimmed, even over 60 long years. Killed in a car crash in mid-July, their pet poodle "Lucky" survived the carnage. Little boys and girls dream of running away to join the circus. It is in Sarasota, Florida where many circus performers live. In Sarasota, where the fat lady, the dwarf and the stilt walker buy their milk at the corner store, life will never be quite the same. The Grimaldis, aged 87 and 81 respectively on the day of their death, and long admired veterans of the heyday of the British circus and variety theatre, are never coming back.