Emma “Irene” Risner, age 84, of Dansville, Michigan.
Irene joined the love of her life, Wilbur, in heaven on May 30, 2020. Irene was born on March 12, 1936 in McGuffey, Ohio to Dean and Easter Irwin. She graduated from Leslie High School in 1954, which was also the year she met and married Wilbur. They had two daughters, Sheryl and Sandy.
Irene helped her husband with dairy farming, and she also was a school bus driver for Dansville Agricultural School for over 30 years. She especially liked driving the sports teams. Anyone who knew Irene knew that she loved to garden. She also enjoyed her time with her brother, Bill, (Ruth) in Florida. She and Bill loved to go looking for a bargain at garage sales. Elvis music always got her toes tapping. Her favorite actor was John Wayne. Through the years Irene was a 4-H leader and youth leader/Sunday school teacher. She spent seven years cooking for the Boy Scout camp in northern Michigan. Irene was a member of the Millville United Methodist Church for over 60 years.
Irene loved her family deeply. She is preceded in death by her husband, Wilbur (1990), daughter, Sheryl (2016), brother, Bill, and her sisters, Marie and Nancy. Irene is survived by her daughter, Sandy (Mark) Schikorra; grandsons, Greg (Nichole) Carlen and Jason Carlen; son-in-law, Richard Carlen; brother, Kenneth Irwin, and sister, Edna Horton. She is also survived by the light of her life, great-grandson, Anders Carlen; also many nieces and nephews.
Special thanks to Julie Grill, Esther Young, Beth Gleason and Ken Sokol. They were mom’s “angels.”
A private Graveside Service is planned, with Pastor Robert Freysinger officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Arrangements by Caskey-Mitchell Funeral Home.
