Irene was born in Bury St Edmunds on the 7th July 1953, to parents Maisie and Roy, and spent a happy childhood there with her sister Pat. When Irene was 10 the family moved to Beccles, where she attended Beccles Middle School. After Irene finished her education she landed a job at Clowes the Printers, where her dad worked, working in the bindary. It was during this time that she met Gary at the local haunt The Castle, a pub at the top of Rigbourne Hill. Irene must have made a good impression because just 6 months later they were married at the age of 24. And not wanting to waste anymore time, 6 months later Irene was pregnant with their first child Lee. At this time they were renting a little one bed cottage in Northgate for £7 a week, but soon after the birth they moved to a bigger place in Oulton Broad. The pull of Beccles however proved to great, and the family moved back to the area after just a yaer, before the birth of her second son Jay in 1981. Many happy years were spent living at Tower Hill, amongst friendly neighbours and families. When her sons were a little older, Irene started working at Riverside Books in Beccles - a job she loved, along with all the friends she made there. It was a regular sight to see Irene bombing around the town on her bike to and from work, adorned in her favorite blue raincoat. Irene was a devoted and loving nanny to her 3 grandchildren, Daniel, Jasmin and Daisy, and spent many hours entertaining them, from painting or baking to dressing up. Nothing was ever too much trouble and was generous to the core. Its fair to say that Irene was the glue that bonded the family, from organising parties and bbqs, to being a shoulder to cry on. And how she loved her holidays - Irene was never seen without a tan, and fulfilled her wish of another big family holiday this summer when her husband, sons, sister, partners and grandchildren went to Turkey. Despite her cruel illness in the latter stages of her life, Irene remained defiant and devoted, and she will be so so sorely missed by everyone that was lucky enough to have been part of her life.