Irene Phyllis Gans was the only child born to Raymond S Gonsiorowski (who later changed his own surname to 'Gans' like the surnames his children were given on their birth certificates) and Chalmers 'June' Hagedorn on Thursday, 16 Jan 1947, in South Bend, St Joseph County, IN.
In May 1968, at the age of 21, Irene married James Walter Elbon, Jr and then, 4 years later, on 1 Sep 1972, Irene and James were divorced.
Irene met my father, George Raymond 'Ray' Sloniger, through some mutual friends. He started letting his crew cut-length hair grow longer, took ballroom dance lessons - he was an automobile mechanic with "two left feet" before he took the dance lessons to impress Irene - and they started dating regularly. Eventually Irene moved in with Ray and then, a couple of years later, they were married on 27 May 1978. He was 45 and she was 31.
Despite one miscarriage, Irene and Ray welcomed a daughter, Angela Dale, into their lives on 6 Sep 1982. Not long after Angela came along, Ray's aging mother, Cora 'Dale' Dodd Sloniger, moved in with them suffering from rapidly encroaching Alzheimer's disease unable to care for herself. Thus, Irene had a young child and an elderly, afflicted mother-in-law to feed, clean and clothe. During the course of several years, Irene neglected her own health while tending to her two charges up to the point that she skipped her annual gynecological doctor visits for those several busy years until, in late 1987 or early 1988, she discovered a lump in her left breast. She ended up being subjected to a radical mastectomy of her left breast in the early spring of 1988. When she came out from under the anesthetic from the surgery she was told that, unfortunately, the cancer had already invaded her surrounding lymph nodes. Ray insisted on remaining positive. "Irene will survive" were his by-words oft repeated throughout the next few years. Despite chemotherapy begun, perhaps, too late, her cancer metastasized and ended up invading her bones - including, especially, her hip bone.
Eventually Irene lost the battle she was destined to lose and on Friday, 27 Aug 1993, the world lost a beautiful, honest (if sometimes hurtfully so) lady and I lost a very special friend. She was NEVER my "step-mother" since she was only 7 years older than I.
A memorial service was held at her deathbed side on Saturday night, 28 Aug 1993, after which her body was taken away and cremated. Her ashes remained in a rather gaudy, flowery, sealed vase - which she would have loved - on a shelf in Ray's bedroom until he had to leave the house to eventually spend most of his last year in one hospital, nursing home, another hospital and then another nursing home declining in health from the cumulative effects of COPD and the rapid advancement of Alzheimer's disease.
Irene's and Ray's ashes were buried side by side, though in different containers, in the same small hole where they will spend eternity together.
In May 1968, at the age of 21, Irene married James Walter Elbon, Jr and then, 4 years later, on 1 Sep 1972, Irene and James were divorced.
Irene met my father, George Raymond 'Ray' Sloniger, through some mutual friends. He started letting his crew cut-length hair grow longer, took ballroom dance lessons - he was an automobile mechanic with "two left feet" before he took the dance lessons to impress Irene - and they started dating regularly. Eventually Irene moved in with Ray and then, a couple of years later, they were married on 27 May 1978. He was 45 and she was 31.
Despite one miscarriage, Irene and Ray welcomed a daughter, Angela Dale, into their lives on 6 Sep 1982. Not long after Angela came along, Ray's aging mother, Cora 'Dale' Dodd Sloniger, moved in with them suffering from rapidly encroaching Alzheimer's disease unable to care for herself. Thus, Irene had a young child and an elderly, afflicted mother-in-law to feed, clean and clothe. During the course of several years, Irene neglected her own health while tending to her two charges up to the point that she skipped her annual gynecological doctor visits for those several busy years until, in late 1987 or early 1988, she discovered a lump in her left breast. She ended up being subjected to a radical mastectomy of her left breast in the early spring of 1988. When she came out from under the anesthetic from the surgery she was told that, unfortunately, the cancer had already invaded her surrounding lymph nodes. Ray insisted on remaining positive. "Irene will survive" were his by-words oft repeated throughout the next few years. Despite chemotherapy begun, perhaps, too late, her cancer metastasized and ended up invading her bones - including, especially, her hip bone.
Eventually Irene lost the battle she was destined to lose and on Friday, 27 Aug 1993, the world lost a beautiful, honest (if sometimes hurtfully so) lady and I lost a very special friend. She was NEVER my "step-mother" since she was only 7 years older than I.
A memorial service was held at her deathbed side on Saturday night, 28 Aug 1993, after which her body was taken away and cremated. Her ashes remained in a rather gaudy, flowery, sealed vase - which she would have loved - on a shelf in Ray's bedroom until he had to leave the house to eventually spend most of his last year in one hospital, nursing home, another hospital and then another nursing home declining in health from the cumulative effects of COPD and the rapid advancement of Alzheimer's disease.
Irene's and Ray's ashes were buried side by side, though in different containers, in the same small hole where they will spend eternity together.
Irene Phyllis Gans was the only child born to Raymond S Gonsiorowski (who later changed his own surname to 'Gans' like the surnames his children were given on their birth certificates) and Chalmers 'June' Hagedorn on Thursday, 16 Jan 1947, in South Bend, St Joseph County, IN.
In May 1968, at the age of 21, Irene married James Walter Elbon, Jr and then, 4 years later, on 1 Sep 1972, Irene and James were divorced.
Irene met my father, George Raymond 'Ray' Sloniger, through some mutual friends. He started letting his crew cut-length hair grow longer, took ballroom dance lessons - he was an automobile mechanic with "two left feet" before he took the dance lessons to impress Irene - and they started dating regularly. Eventually Irene moved in with Ray and then, a couple of years later, they were married on 27 May 1978. He was 45 and she was 31.
Despite one miscarriage, Irene and Ray welcomed a daughter, Angela Dale, into their lives on 6 Sep 1982. Not long after Angela came along, Ray's aging mother, Cora 'Dale' Dodd Sloniger, moved in with them suffering from rapidly encroaching Alzheimer's disease unable to care for herself. Thus, Irene had a young child and an elderly, afflicted mother-in-law to feed, clean and clothe. During the course of several years, Irene neglected her own health while tending to her two charges up to the point that she skipped her annual gynecological doctor visits for those several busy years until, in late 1987 or early 1988, she discovered a lump in her left breast. She ended up being subjected to a radical mastectomy of her left breast in the early spring of 1988. When she came out from under the anesthetic from the surgery she was told that, unfortunately, the cancer had already invaded her surrounding lymph nodes. Ray insisted on remaining positive. "Irene will survive" were his by-words oft repeated throughout the next few years. Despite chemotherapy begun, perhaps, too late, her cancer metastasized and ended up invading her bones - including, especially, her hip bone.
Eventually Irene lost the battle she was destined to lose and on Friday, 27 Aug 1993, the world lost a beautiful, honest (if sometimes hurtfully so) lady and I lost a very special friend. She was NEVER my "step-mother" since she was only 7 years older than I.
A memorial service was held at her deathbed side on Saturday night, 28 Aug 1993, after which her body was taken away and cremated. Her ashes remained in a rather gaudy, flowery, sealed vase - which she would have loved - on a shelf in Ray's bedroom until he had to leave the house to eventually spend most of his last year in one hospital, nursing home, another hospital and then another nursing home declining in health from the cumulative effects of COPD and the rapid advancement of Alzheimer's disease.
Irene's and Ray's ashes were buried side by side, though in different containers, in the same small hole where they will spend eternity together.
In May 1968, at the age of 21, Irene married James Walter Elbon, Jr and then, 4 years later, on 1 Sep 1972, Irene and James were divorced.
Irene met my father, George Raymond 'Ray' Sloniger, through some mutual friends. He started letting his crew cut-length hair grow longer, took ballroom dance lessons - he was an automobile mechanic with "two left feet" before he took the dance lessons to impress Irene - and they started dating regularly. Eventually Irene moved in with Ray and then, a couple of years later, they were married on 27 May 1978. He was 45 and she was 31.
Despite one miscarriage, Irene and Ray welcomed a daughter, Angela Dale, into their lives on 6 Sep 1982. Not long after Angela came along, Ray's aging mother, Cora 'Dale' Dodd Sloniger, moved in with them suffering from rapidly encroaching Alzheimer's disease unable to care for herself. Thus, Irene had a young child and an elderly, afflicted mother-in-law to feed, clean and clothe. During the course of several years, Irene neglected her own health while tending to her two charges up to the point that she skipped her annual gynecological doctor visits for those several busy years until, in late 1987 or early 1988, she discovered a lump in her left breast. She ended up being subjected to a radical mastectomy of her left breast in the early spring of 1988. When she came out from under the anesthetic from the surgery she was told that, unfortunately, the cancer had already invaded her surrounding lymph nodes. Ray insisted on remaining positive. "Irene will survive" were his by-words oft repeated throughout the next few years. Despite chemotherapy begun, perhaps, too late, her cancer metastasized and ended up invading her bones - including, especially, her hip bone.
Eventually Irene lost the battle she was destined to lose and on Friday, 27 Aug 1993, the world lost a beautiful, honest (if sometimes hurtfully so) lady and I lost a very special friend. She was NEVER my "step-mother" since she was only 7 years older than I.
A memorial service was held at her deathbed side on Saturday night, 28 Aug 1993, after which her body was taken away and cremated. Her ashes remained in a rather gaudy, flowery, sealed vase - which she would have loved - on a shelf in Ray's bedroom until he had to leave the house to eventually spend most of his last year in one hospital, nursing home, another hospital and then another nursing home declining in health from the cumulative effects of COPD and the rapid advancement of Alzheimer's disease.
Irene's and Ray's ashes were buried side by side, though in different containers, in the same small hole where they will spend eternity together.
Gravesite Details
Irene's ashes are buried along with the ashes of her 2nd husband, George Raymond Sloniger.
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