My sister Irene, age 78, left Planet Earth yesterday, March 21, 2022, at 1:08 P.M. surrounded by those who loved he. She had struggled with disabilities much of the last 20 years, and Multiple Myeloma for 13 years. I am sad, and relieved for her.
Irene was a Freedom Rider in the 1960s, and she worked for Freedom and Justice all her life. She was opposed to the death penalty.
Irene loved one woman, Penelope, for 60 years, and nothing in her life was more important than that relationship. She and her spouse raised my nephew to be an intelligent and resourceful man. They were Lesbian Activists before there were words for it.
Irene had Degrees in Theology and Counseling Psychology. She was a Master Practitioner and teacher of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
She played Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, She did Gymnastics and Track & Field. I remember the day, I was six years old, she was twelve, when she ran into the house shouting “He did it! He did it!! Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile!†Irene played sports well into middle age.
A physicist would talk of the Law of Conservation of Energy. Even bedridden, Irene was interested in many things, and and her hope for the future was enthusiastic. Her energy seemed to speed up as she grew closer to death.
That energy continues to inspire all of us who knew and loved her.