Irene Ida (Blaser) Naegeli, of Chelsea, Michigan, passed away on Friday, July 14, 2023 at the age of 96. She was born on February 3, 1927 in Basel, Switzerland, the daughter of Gottfried and Katharina (Weber) Blaser. Irene had lived most recently at Silver Maples of Chelsea, Michigan for the past ten years, spending many years previous to that in Harbor Springs, Michigan.
Born, raised and educated in her home country of Switzerland, Irene then transitioned into a truly fascinating adult life that included many highlights such as - working for the Swiss Foreign Office inBelgrade, Yugoslavia; meeting her future husband skiing in the Swiss Alps; emigrating alone to the USA in 1956; marrying Edward Naegeli in Michigan in 1957; obtaining US citizenship in 1963; raising their five children; living in Germany and England with the family from 1973 – ‘87 while Edward served international assignments there for General Motors; and traveling much of the World upon his retirement. Hobbies and interests included nature and the outdoors, traveling, sewing and knitting, listening to music, golf and, above all, her family. Amazingly, in her early seventies, she quickly developed into a prolific producer of art. In her later homes, she was able to surround herself with her own stunning creations. She was interesting, interested and lived a life highlighted by positive attitude, good spirits, love, and gratitude.
Irene is survived by her five children, Esther (William) Durnwald of Portland, Michigan; Markus (Susan) Naegeli of Kokomo, Indiana; Christopher (Virginia) Naegeli of Franklin, Michigan; Monika (Bridget Benshetler) Naegeli of Snow Hill, Maryland; Lilian (James) Anderson of Ann Arbor, Michigan; her sister, Margrit Rochat of Evilard, Switzerland, thirteen grandchildren (Brigitte, William, Henry, Kaleb, Anna, Kira, Leah, Christina, Jakob, EmmaJane, Samuel, Gabriela and Christofer) and eight great grandchildren (Irene, Liam, Emma, Olivia, Desmond, Heidi, Nora and Luke). She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward (2017) and her two brothers, Freddy and Werner.
In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of Irene Naegeli may be made to Faith In Action, a community funded assistance and resource center in Chelsea Faith In Action - Make a Donation (faithinaction1.org)
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023, 1:30 p.m., at Silver Maples of Chelsea.
