Irene Marie Venuto

Her father was a farmer caring for a sixty-acre parcel of land in Cibolo. Her mother cared for the children and helped her husband with farming chores. The family later moved in the late 30s to Converse where they continued to farm. In 1951 the farm was purchased by Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens and the owners requested her father to manage and supervise the development of a perpetual-care cemetery. He accepted,

Irene was educated in a one-room school building in Cibolo. Simultaneously she helped her father with farm chores along with her two younger brothers. Her high school education was interrupted by a need to help support the family by securing a job. The outbreak of World War II several years later further delayed her education. However, she subsequently earned her GED diploma. She ultimately became a cashier at the Randolph Air Force Base Cadet Detachment Base Exchange where she met Jim Venuto, a young Cadet. She admittedly didn’t much like the idea of his flying but condoned it because she had decided he was going to be her husband. After dating several months, Irene accepted Jim’s proposal of marriage. They were married on 10 April 1948 in the Main Chapel on Randolph Air Force Base. Together, they built their first home in Converse and raised four children there – Marc (Susan), Kenneth (Katina), Roxane (Robert) and Francelle who eventually gave them 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Irene and her husband, Jim, together with Irene’s cousin, were the first Religious Education teachers for St. Monica Church – teaching under the trees in front of what was to become the first Catholic Church in the area, as well as in the Converse Fire Dept. truck garage. She was also a member of St. Monica’s Altar Society and helped in the thrift store for six years. She was forced to resign by reason of a fractured pelvis resulting from a fall in the thrift store. When Jim was the Director of Religious Education every Christmas season Irene would cook for days to prepare food for their Christmas party. All the religious education teachers at St. Monica’s would be invited into their home to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Irene was a stay at home wife and mother until their youngest child went to school. At which time she became the first Cafeteria Manager for the Judson ISD high school in 1966. When she left the Cafeteria Manager’s job, she entered the field of retail sales and became employed by Joske’s of Texas. Eventually, Joske’s was sold to the firm of Dillard’s Retail Stores where Irene worked until her retirement in 1993.

Irene was blessed with good health until her eighty-first year when she suffered a minor stoke. In 2009, just two days after her birthday, she fell and broke her right hip. Irene’s health began to decline. In the following two years she suffered three additional strokes all of which progressively affected her sight forcing her to surrender her love of reading and sewing.

Irene was admitted into the hospital on 2 October 2017. All her children and many of her grandchildren were able to be with her in her last hours reminiscing all the good and fun times. After the family left the hospital about 5:00 am on 4 October 2017 at 6:09 am Irene took her last breath with the love of her life (Jim) at her side holding her hand.

Visitation will be Monday, 9 October 2017 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. with a rosary to be recited at 7:00 pm at Colonial Funeral Home, 625 Kitty Hawk Rd, Universal City, TX.

Funeral Mass is Tuesday, 10 October 2017 10:00 at St. Monica’s Catholic Church, 501 North St., Converse, TX. Private interment to follow.

In lieu of flowers; the family asks donations to be made to a charity of your choice in Irene’s name.