Obituary of Irene McDonald

Irene McDonald was born to Peter and Elizabeth Thelen on April 20, 1916 east of Milford Iowa. She attended St. Joseph's School and graduated from Milford High School in 1934 On February 16, 1938 she was married to Lester McDonald at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. They farmed in Westport Township until 1949, and then for another 10 years in Excelsior Township. In 1960 she and Les built a house in Milford and moved to town. Irene operated an antique business from their home and enjoyed going to auctions to acquire things for the business and cleaning them for resale. She was also quite a card player and enjoyed many games with friends during the farming years. Irene was very active in the Democratic party and held many committee positions while serving. She also was a member and held positions in Catholic Daughters, Rosary Alter Society, DCCW, Lady of Fatima Circle. She spent her free time (what free time she had) fishing. refinishing furniture, doing hand craft work, listening to music, and accepting stuffed animals from friends. Irene also enjoyed traveling to visit friends and relatives. With the help of in-home care, she was able to spend many years in her home but at the age of 95 moved to Milford Nursing Center where she has lived for the past 15 months. On December 8, 2012 at the age of 96 years young, Irene passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving friends and in constant contact with family members. She is survived by sons, Timothy (Tim) of Ames, IA, Randall (Randy) and his wife Doris of San Jose, CA, Thomas (Dr. Tom) of Omaha, NE; grandchildren, Michael McDonald of Cypress, CA, Valerie McDonald of San Jose, CA, Chad Roberts of Tucson, AZ, and Scott Roberts, Mesa, AZ. She was preceded in death by her husband Lester, her parents and siblings. There will be a Parish Scripture Service at 5:30 pm Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford.