Irene Elizabeth Prewitt

Irene Elizabeth Prewitt passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026 in Houston, Texas. She was 76. Born Irene Elizabeth Dohoney in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 27th, 1949, to parents Elizabeth Berry (Hindman) Dohoney and Alfred Peyton Dohoney, she grew up in Houston, Texas with her younger sister Marian.

Irene graduated from Lamar High School and was later a member of the Phi Lambda chapter of the Delta Delta Delta sorority at Texas Christian University where she earned a Liberal Arts Degree in 1972. Irene spent many years working at different posts before heeding a call to help others at MD Anderson as an information specialist, guiding those with questions concerning the nature of cancer. She performed these tasks while also pursuing her passion of the culinary arts, beginning by taking cooking classes and eventually working as a caterer on the side. It was this love of food and its history and culture that led to a later career as the chair of the culinary arts department at Spring Woods High School, where she spread her joy for cooking and inspired her students to pursue avenues within the field. Irene’s son, Andrew, graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Austin.

Irene had a great love for family and gatherings, annually returning to Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO, where she had spent her summers as a child. She often said some of her happiest memories were of spending time under the Flatirons with her loved ones in Chautauqua. She also enjoyed spending time with her sons; in Galveston on the Strand, in New York City, taking in nearly one-hundred Broadway shows over the years, floating down the Comal River in New Braunfels, and skiing the slopes of various mountains in Colorado. She was a huge supporter of the TCU Horned Frogs and was always excited for the next Tri-Delt event. Irene was a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church and was proud to send her sons to the school. For many years she ran the food booth during their annual St. Francis Day Festival. She attended Sunday services regularly, and the church and school remained an important focus in her life. She had a great love for reading which remained a lifelong hobby. She also had a passion for the performing arts, particularly film. She was always happy to take her sons to movies or let them know what films they should see, and often took them to see Broadway tours that came to town. Her son, Jeffrey, inspired by their shared love for storytelling, became an actor. But perhaps her greatest influence came later in her life when she became a teacher at Spring Woods High School. For over twenty years, Irene served as a leader to students in the field. Her instruction to her students provided many the skills to not only prepare themselves for life, but also fostered the first steps for many who chose to pursue the culinary arts as a career. She never ceased learning, attending annual conferences and collecting as many cookbooks as she could, always trying to gain more knowledge to pass along to her students, her friends and her family. Irene had a great love for music, and a glass of California Chardonnay. She could often be found sharing a glass with her many friends, sharing her latest exploits from the kitchen.

She is survived by her sons, Jeffrey Prewitt and his partner Marie Zvosec of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Andrew Prewitt and his wife Becky Barclay and her son Jordan Wilson of Houston; her sister Marian Kaufman; her niece Amy Kaufman; as well as her faithful Cocoa, who stayed with her until the end. We know she is cooking up a special dessert for all of us. We look forward to trying it when we are reunited.

A public memorial will be held on Saturday, May 30th at 11am at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 345 Piney Point Rd., Houston, TX, 77024. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. All are welcome to attend.