Clarke, Irene Marie

IRENE MARIE CLARKE (nee Leavitt), age 84, passed away after a lengthy illness on April 8, 2019. She was born December 19, 1934 in Cardston, AB to Garda and Floyd Leavitt. She married her husband, James Gordon Clarke, on November 22, 1952 in Calgary. They recently celebrated their 66^th wedding anniversary.

Irene lived a very full life. She was very creative and loved to arrange flowers. Throughout her life, she worked as a florist whenever the opportunity arose and helped design floral arrangements for the weddings of family members and the children of friends too numerous to mention. She also dabbled at drawing, quilting, and ceramics.

Irene loved to tell stories, especially to her grandchildren. Her favorite character was named Ridiculous and she could weave a story out of thin air about his silly antics. There was usually a moral to each story ending with the line 'So don't be Ridiculous'. She also loved a good joke and a laugh. She had a wonderful sense of humor.

Irene loved to bake. Her children especially looked forward to her famous cinnamon buns whenever they came home for the holidays. She baked cookies, squares, pies, cakes, made fudge and many other delicious goodies. Most of these treats were shared with family and friends at numerous holiday and social events. She loved to entertain.

Irene loved to play cards and was especially good at winning. She was also lucky with money and loved to visit the casinos and play the slot machines. She enjoyed golf and made sure to let everyone know she shot a hole-in-one. She had a sense of adventure and enjoyed her travels to faraway destinations in retirement.

Another special talent Irene had was her ability to make friends whenever they moved to a new community. She quickly got to know her neighbors many of whom stayed in touch with her over the years. She always looked for opportunities to meet new people and often belonged to the local Lady Lion's Club as well as the local curling and golf clubs. She also met and became friends with many of the people in the TransAlta community.

Irene knew how to be frugal and stretch a dollar. She preserved fruit for the winter, canned pickles, and baked bread and buns. She always got to know the bosses at the local Hutterite colonies and 'negotiated' deals on cream, eggs, vegetables, and chickens. She picked Saskatoons, Chokecherries, and Gooseberries which she turned into jams and syrups. Aside from food, she was a master at getting a deal on almost everything she purchased. Feeding and clothing five children was expensive.

Irene is survived by her husband Jim and her children Margaret, James (Kathy), Patricia, Ernest (Paulette) and Sandra. She is the cherished Grandmother to Mike (Linnea), Jayme (Kim), Jeff, Chris (Angela), David (Danielle), Lyndsey (Marc), Lee, Robert (Jenn), and Jillian, Step-Grandmother to Carey (Anna) and 'GG' to Dexter, Madison, Ajay, Oliver, Ellie, Elisabeth, Noah and Sully. She is also survived by her sisters Gail and Mildred and her brothers Grant and Lyndon.

A Celebration of Life for Irene will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2800 Mayor Magrath Drive South, Lethbridge, AB on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 12:00 P.M.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.