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Note: A copy of Irene's birth certificate shows that Irene (as she always claimed) had no middle name. She said that Anna was her confirmation name (She had an aunt named Anna) and since everyone insisted that she had to have a middle name, she just said her name was Ann Irene.
When asked how she and Scahill met, she told of a friend, Hank Lill, setting up a blind date for her and a Coast Guardsman Burt Scahill. He was a handsome, intelligent, mandolin-playing sailor and she, a beautiful and young woman who was so intelligent that the school's principal and a doctor offered to pay for her college education. She decided to marry Burt.
In the 1930 census, Irene and baby M Frances were boarding with the Brooks family on Ambrose Street in Watertown, NY. (Scahill was training in Illinois.) He was called 'Scahill' by Irene. The name, although spelled many ways, was pronounced to rhyme with Pal. (Not wanting to correct people over and over, the following generations usually answered to anything close.)
Irene loved yard sales - even bought a car at one. She really loved bingo - attended and won almost nightly. Irene and Scahill made sure all of the children learned to play Bridge. A few enjoyed yard sales and all wished they were as lucky as their mother.
She declared that she thought most people were boring - except for her siblings and children. She could name which playing card would be turned over next; declaring "anyone can do that". She had a great sense of humor, usually shown by combining a laugh with the words "OooCripes".
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