Gma Irene’s Memorial

Hi, i want to tell you about this purple haired lady many people call Gma. I remember as a child she would come home from Dunkin Donuts and smell so sweet. She would always bring munchkins and donuts with sprinkles for the kids, and a cinnamon roll just for me. As I got older I remember coming home from school and Gma not being there, she was at the grocery store. I’d walk across the street to Food 4 Less and I could ask any employee in the store have you seen Gma? They knew who she was. Everyone knew who Gma was. I honestly don’t know if most people even knew she had a real name. Over the years she would tell me someone came up to me and said hi Gma, then would say “I don’t know who the hell that was” Anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting her always got a great story out of her. Whether it was her telling you how to pick a lock or her stories walking down New York Avenue in her Joan Crawford F**k Me Pumps on her way to the phone company. I still don’t know how to walk in heels … some day I’ll master it. I remember on multiple occasions there would be strangers in our house. Gmas house was always a safe haven. Whether you needed food or a spot to sleep on the floor Gma had you covered. Cat, dog, green, purple , black, white , brown or pink human didn’t matter you had a place in our home. She never turned anyone away. Still amazes how she always had enough food for everyone. The door was always unlocked if you needed to come in. The amount of people who lived with her over the years is uncountable. Come one come all.

Few years back she was diagnosed with lung cancer, still kept smoking those long cigarettes that looked like pencils. She finally quit smoking about 6 months ago. I was extremely proud of it. She did it cold turkey too. Gma has kept her spunk until the very end. Everyone always compliments her purple hair. I tried to talk her into trying new colors, she wouldn’t budge. Stubborn lady she was! Purples her color. She told me she didn’t want to dress like an old lady so I kept her fresh in new dresses all the time!

Gma has outlived 3 out of 4 children, her husband and a majority of her family. She has succeeded in living a great life. She’s been surrounded by family her whole life. She’s been the matriarch of our family.

She taught us to never judge anyone, everyone has a story, and sometimes people need help.

So I here I am asking for help which is extremely difficult for me to do. My grandma wants a burial which our family can not do on our own. Anything helps. Thank you very much.