Irene Einspahr

IRENE W. EINSPAHR

Iowa City

Irene W. Einspahr, 95, died peacefully on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, at Crestview Nursing in West Branch, Iowa.

Born Jan. 20, 1922, in Wellsburg, N.D., Irene was the daughter of Joseph and Ella (Hanson) Williams, with older siblings, Wilma (Klososky) and Robert. The family moved to Harvey, N.D., during the Great Depression, where Irene graduated from Harvey High School in 1939. After graduating from Duluth Business College, Irene moved to the West Coast to be with her sister, and while working for the Tacoma Labor Advocate newspaper, she met Lt. John Einspahr, who was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash. On Sept. 6, 1945, Irene and John were married at the Fort Lewis Chapel. Irene and John settled in the Minneapolis area and raised their three children, Mary, Fred and Ann, in Deephaven near Lake Minnetonka. The family was very engaged in their close-knit community and in their church. Irene led a life of compassion, goodness and faith. Her loving and generous spirit extended to all she encountered throughout her life.

She will be missed by her surviving children, Fred Einspahr (Susan) of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Ann Parent (Rick) of Warren, Maine; as well as seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Irene joins those who have gone before, including her parents, her husband, John, her daughter, Mary Waters, and her siblings.

Visitation will be at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, at Bethany Lutheran Church in West Branch, followed by a funeral service at 9 a.m. Graveside committal will be at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Odebolt Cemetery in Odebolt, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Online condolences and the complete obituary may be found at www.lensingfuneral.com.