Inspiring Every Life She Touched
The nicest person I’ve ever known was my mother, Irene. She was born in Le Creusot, France, in 1931. While her father worked in an arms factory in town, her mother worked as a seamstress specializing in wedding dresses. As a young girl assisting her mother, Irene developed her love of fabric and sewing. Her mother also taught her the importance of impeccable manners, how to dress tastefully, and to carry herself with dignity and class.

Her simple, quiet life changed when World War II erupted and the German army began bombing the small town of Le Cruesot because of the ammunition factory where her father worked. After the German occupation, the town continued to be bombed, now by the English, so Irene and her family spent many nights in the bomb shelters—until her only brother, who was just 17, was hit by a bomb. His transfer to a hospital in Paris would change Irene’s life forever. Her parents needed to be in Paris with their injured son, and so they sent Irene, then 11, to a convent in Strasbourg, France, for her own safety. She would spend the remainder of the war there, where she finished her education and learned to love fine cooking, a passion that she passed on later to her family.

After Irene completed high school, she moved to Paris, where she worked as a secretary for a year. Soon she felt compelled to return home to help her family rebuild their lives after the war. There she met her new neighbors, a family who fled Poland before the Communist takeover. The family happened to include a very handsome son. Irene and Al fell in love, married, and after the birth of their first child (me), decided to move to America for a better life. Life wasn’t easy in the US, since soldiers returning from the war were given priority for jobs. My brother Wesley was born in Detroit. The family struggled until my parents found sponsors in Chicago who helped them get on their feet in that city. Irene immediately went to school to learn English and accounting. She was hired by Burlington Northern Railroad, and my brother Eddie was born in Chicago. She retired from Burlington Northern 35 years later, and during all those years she never missed an opportunity to make us feel special.

Irene never really retired because she devoted her life to her children and grandchildren, passing on the traditions of elegant manners and dress regardless of financial means. Her table was always beautifully set, and when you entered her home, the aroma of something fabulous cooking made your mouth water. She tailored exquisite suits for me from fabric she found in France, and always shared something special with her grandchildren.

Heart disease and a stroke took her life at the too early age of 75. Her legacy and love of live on in the hearts of everyone she touched. She was an inspiration to never give up your passion or dreams. Her son-in-law described Irene as having the looks of Elizabeth Taylor with the class of Jackie Kennedy. And yet, Irene my mother, was a star in her own right.