G. Irene Willebrand

Birth:  Aug. 11, 1913 Peola Garfield County Washington, USA

Death:  Aug. 19, 2013 Clarkston Asotin County Washington, USA

Irene Willebrand, 100, of Clarkston, died Aug. 19, 2013.

She was born Aug. 11, 1913, to Joseph A. Yochum and Ottilia L. Flerchinger in Peola, Wash. Irene attended Gladsby School in Myrtle until ninth grade when she returned home to care for her younger siblings.

Irene moved to Lewiston when she was 15 and worked as a housekeeper. She married P. Edwin Willebrand on June 4, 1938, in Lewiston. They had four children. Her daughter, Gloria Ann, passed away in May of 1943. Edwin passed away Nov. 10, 1959.

After her husband died, Irene raised her three sons and returned to work. Irene was a self-taught expert seamstress and was a professional cosmetologist for Charles of the Ritz. She also worked at the Owl Drug store and Klings, both in Lewiston. After she retired she became a nanny.

She received an honorary diploma from Clarkston High School in 2010.

She was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, the Catholic Daughters, Altar Society, the Holy Family School Board, the Moose Auxiliary and the Clarkston Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. She was also a den mother for Cub Scouts.

Irene enjoyed visiting with her entire family and lifelong friends, cooking, flower and vegetable gardening and dancing. She traveled with relatives and OWLS through the U.S., Europe and Canada.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin; her daughter, Gloria Ann; her parents, Joseph Yochum and Ottilia Flerchinger; her brothers, Raymond (FAG#14586320,) Leonard and Julian Yochum; and her sisters, Regina Schneider, Margaret Yochum, Josepha Hall and Aurilia Zieman.

Irene is survived by her sons, David and Melynda of Tucumcari, N.M., Melvin and Karen of Glenden Beach, Ore., and Richard and Johnna of Portland, Ore.; her sisters, Agatha Cumming of Clarkston and Barbara Fay of Covington, Ind.; five grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Holy Family Catholic Church in Clarkston, with graveside services to follow at Vineland Cemetery.