Irene Lemon was a faithful mother of Lynn Birus and Ann Owens, Mother in Law to John Birus and Larry Owens, Grandmother to Jack Birus, Madalynn Birus and Nathan Birus, she was a dear friend to so many and child of God. Irene is survived by her younger Brother, Delbert Craddock, 88, of Durant Oklahoma and her sister in law, Norma Hawthorn Craddock, along with her “baby” sister Margarette Craddock Pate, 83, of Appache, Oklahoma. Irene was “Ain’t Irene” to 3 nieces and 4 nephews. She was a sister in Christ to millions around the world and “Grandma Irene” to the Laurel church of Christ in her later years.
Irene was born in Pickens Oklahoma, in the Kiamici Mountains, in the corner of McCurtain and Pushmataha Counties. Her father had come to Oklahoma with his family from Arkansas in a Conestoga wagon when he was 2 years old. Her mother’s family had come to Oklahoma when it was Indian Territory, and was born as Oklahoma was becoming a state in 1907. Irene was a true pioneer woman and had no running water or pluming during her younger childhood. They lived a difficult existence at that time and picked cotton and peanuts until her dad bought a general store, just like the kind you see in quaint pictures. Her grandfather on her dad’s side had been converted to Christ by a traveling preacher and he taught and converted his entire family, and extended family, the gospel and started a church of Christ referred to as the County Line church of Christ in Pickens Oklahoma.
When mom was 18, she wanted to help the war effort and she and a girlfriend moved to Oklahoma City to Douglas Airforce Base where she was a cashier to all the “Rosie the Riveters” during WWII. She left there after the war and moved to Durant Oklahoma and entered Southeastern University, where she began studying to get her degree in Home Economics. Three years into her college experience, at church, a young man from town noticed her beautiful auburn hair and “couldn’t stop staring at her”. Two weeks later, she married our father, Dale Thomas Lemon and they left Oklahoma to pursue his military career in the Air Force.
After traveling with the military, they returned to Oklahoma and our dad began his career as a full-time minister. They lived and taught in many places from Oklahoma to Minnesota to Michigan. Dad then became the Vice President of a small Christian college in Villanova Pennsylvania. After that, he felt the need to go back to spreading the gospel and he went back to preaching, and that brought us all to the DC area. Dad preached at many congregations of the churches of Christ in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area. Irene was his true partner and “right hand” in loving, teaching the word, and serving each individual. She supported him by raising their children and serving the church. They were married for 30 years. He preceded her in death.
To say that Irene was incredibly talented is an understatement. She could sew clothes, do alterations, make quilts, refinish antique furniture, reupholster furniture, bake, make repairs to just about anything that was broken and really do just about anything! She worked as a cook at a daycare, an alterationist, an antiques dealer’s helper, and finally got a job at Montgomery Wards in the sewing machine and vacuum department. She did so well at Montgomery Wards that she won a free trip to Germany for her sales of vacuums!
When she retired, she moved back to Oklahoma to take care of her mother who had been in a nursing home. She took her mother out of the nursing home and brought her to a small house they had owned in Durant Oklahoma to care for her. She kept her mother in her home for 6 years and then in a nearby nursing facility for an additional 3 years. Meanwhile, her siblings had all moved to this small town to be near their mother and retire. She lived happily there with her siblings, her quilt club friends, her church family, several cats (one at a time), and a really big fish named Gomer.
She celebrated her 90th birthday in 2015! That September she had a fall on the way to her swimming exercise class and had a bad fall. She had to be hospitalized in November and came to live with her eldest daughter, Lynn, in January of 2016. Irene had lots of health issues but loved to continue to quilt, crochet, and visit with her children, her grandchildren, her dear friend Diane Threat, and all her church family. She bonded with those who helped her during the day, Dollie McCarl and Sophia Alexis.
She was a matriarch, a mentor, a Proverbs 31 woman, who put her family’s needs above her own and sacrificed to make sure her family was taken care of. She loved to laugh, had a quick wit, and had a “country” saying for everything. “It’s better to want something you can’t have, then have something you don’t want!”. She loved wearing nice clothes and loved searching for treasures at thrift stores or “Gettin’ Places”. Our lives will never be the same without her.
Family will receive friends at Witzke Funeral Homes, Inc., 5555 Twin Knolls Rd., Columbia, MD 21045 on Friday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9pm. Funeral services will be held at Laurel Church of Christ, 7111 Cherry Lane, Laurel, MD 20707 on Saturday at 10am.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Laurel Church of Christ Food Pantry, 7111 Cherry Lane, Laurel, MD 20707, or to Gilchrist Hospice.
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