Irene Beatrice Parkes

April 13, 1929-June 3, 2026

On June 3, 2026, Irene, a resident of Keewatin Ontario, passed away at Pinecrest Home for the Aged.

Irene was born in her family home and was one of Jack and Mary Park’s eleven (11) children.

She is survived by her three children: Rick (Leidy), Susan, and Patti, former son-in-law Don-who she still considered very much part of the family, grandchildren: Vanessa (Mike), Geoff, Sarah P., Ben (Jess), Rachel, and Sarah W., great-grandchildren: Sofia, Eva, Oliver, Elle, and Charlotte, and siblings: Evelene, Larry, and June.

Irene was predeceased by her parents John “Jack” and Mary Park, and siblings: Gladys, Phyllis, Bernice, Shirley, Melvin, Earl, and Harold.

Irene was born in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba in 1929. Here, her father owned and operated Park’s Barber, which led to some confusion surrounding her maiden name: some of the children have “Park” on their birth certificate while others, including Irene, have Parks; meanwhile, Irene’s marriage certificate has “Park”. In 1938 the love of her life, Ben Parkes, moved to the area- where they would eventually meet. They married on June 10, 1950, and were married until Ben’s passing in November of 2021. The two spent 71 years together, cleaning/maintaining private cabins (Ben would mow lawns while Irene cleaned), caring for their children, and enjoying their retirement years travelling in their trailer (mostly throughout western Canada as well as Minnesota).

In October of 1956, Ben and Irene moved to Keewatin Ontario. Family always came first- Irene was always making sure people didn’t go without and could often be heard asking “are you hungry?”, “should I put the tea on?”, “should I make more food?”, “can I give you money for your trip?”, as well as directing people to “have another helping”. She loved visiting family in Lac Lu, family reunion trips, and particularly enjoyed hosting visitors from out-of-town. Alongside raising her family, Irene worked as a cleaner at the Credit Union twice a week, as well as a summertime cleaner at the Birchwood Terrace cabins.

While family was her first priority, she was so much more than what she did for others. Irene had a sense of humour that would shock anyone who didn’t know her well. She enjoyed card games (with family of course), playing Bingo at the Keewatin Legion, visiting various casinos with her sister Shirley, jigsaw puzzles, the daily crossword, and cryptograms. Irene consistently played the same lottery numbers and had them memorized, but it was her family who hit the jackpot by having her in their lives for so many years.

Our family would like to thank the staff at Lake of the Woods District Hospital for taking such good care of her during her month-long stay from February-March 13th. We would also like to thank the staff at Pinecrest for taking her to activities, helping her adjust as her life changed, for their compassionate care, and for the beautiful end of life ceremony. Thank you for treating our mother/grandmother the way you would treat your own. You made a difficult time much easier.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the First Baptist Church, Kenora Ontario on Saturday, July 18th, 2026 at 1:00pm.