Irene Del Hierro

After a short, hard fought battle with cancer; filled with piss and vinegar, sailor language, and massive amounts of love, Irene del Hierro of San Jose, California passed away surrounded by her enormous extended family.

Irene was born under the name Grezdo in Buenos Aires, Argentina along with her identical sister. The Grezdo family moved to the United States in 1963 to Daly City, California. Irene’s father, Jose, worked in a machine shop where he met machinist named Jesus del Hierro. The Grezdo and del Hierro families became friends and this is where Irene’s relationship with Max first began. They dated on and off through highschool, but eventually ended up getting married in 1975. They lived in Colma with their two children until 1980 when they moved to San Jose where they had their third child a few years later. Irene and Max spent their time raising their children, camping, gardening, and supporting all parts of their children’s lives. All through the high school years Irene was a dedicated marching band mom for Independence High School Calvary Band. In 2010 Irene entered the Grandmother club with her first grandchild. She quickly had to abandon her sailor-like language which left us with gems like, “Fishing Pole!”

Irene is survived by her husband Max Sr; her son Andy and his wife Marlene (Chavez); her daughter Jennifer and her husband Manual (Garcia); her son Max, Jr and his wife Cynthia (Garcia); her sister & brother-in-law Norma and Hector Scritzky (Grezdo); her grandchildren Tommy, Max III, and Catie. She also leaves several cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, and grand-nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on March 4th, 2018 at 12 pm; at Oak Hill Memorial Park located at 300 Curtner Ave, San Jose, CA 95125. The reception will follow at 3pm at the San Jose Scottish Rite Center, located at 2455 Masonic Dr. San Jose, CA 95125.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to;