Irene was born May 4, 1927 to Catherine (Narvicz) and Frank Kosuda in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. She was the older sister of the late Ceil (Barbara) Medway and Frank Kosuda of Colonia, NJ.
She moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey as a child where she attended St. Adalbert’s School and Battin High School. There she met and married her beloved George “Rusty” Kulesh in 1947. He predeceased her in 1987.
Irene received her Nursing degree at Jersey City Medical Center in 1948 through the Cadet Nurse Corps Scholarship program. She worked at Elizabeth General Medical Center from 1947 until her retirement in 1992. Her nursing career included many years as an operating room nurse, Head Nurse and Nursing Instructor for the Surgery Department.
She was the loving “Babci” to Bridget and Andrew and “Cioci” to many nieces and nephews.
She was an active parishioner and member of the Rosary Confraternity at The Church of St. Joseph the Carpenter in Roselle where she had many dear friends.
In 2018, she moved to Maryland to be closer to her son David and became a resident of Raphael House Assisted Living Community that she referred to as “home”. There she was a member of the knitting group, Rosary Guild, and became a passionate Bingo player.
Irene is survived by her son David, daughter-in-law Joanne and grandchildren Bridget and Andrew.
Family will receive relatives and friends at Krowicki McCraken Funeral home, 2124 East Saint Georges Avenue, Linden, NJ 07036 on December 6th, 2019 from 4 pm to 8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on December 7th, 2019 at 10:00 am at The Church of St. Joseph the Carpenter, 140 E Third Avenue, Roselle NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Raphael House, 1515 Dunster Road, Rockville MD 20854.
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