In Memory of Irene

What a wonderful tribute this obituary was to a great lady---I could only hope to be loved by so many and remembered the way Irene will be by her family and friends.

Irene Weger Struby was a perfect wife, mother, mother- in-law, grandma and great grandma. Born on October 4, 1922, in Dodge City, Kan., she was the only child of Dr. Carl and May (Lansing) Weger. She grew up and attended high school in Glasgow, Mo., and then moved to Keytesville, Mo. She was an excellent basketball player who had a perfected hook shot. She attended Kirksville State Teacher's College (Truman State), where she met the love of her life, Harry Struby. They were married on January 14, 1945. Irene and her family moved to Leawood, Kan., in 1962. Sweet Irene was a mother to six children, 18 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. She always made time for each one attending soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey and football games, horseback-riding competitions, swim meets, school plays and choral events. She made each feel very special and each held a special place in her heart. In the late 1960s, she worked at Cambridge House, where she perfected her tole painting and wood-carving skills and made a myriad of friends at work and with Handcrafters. In recent years, she added rug hooking to her craft skills and celebrated her 65th wedding anniversary in January with her husband and hooking friends at a hooking weekend retreat. Her children's homes are adorned with her tole and hooking pieces- her presence will be forever felt. Her love for the holidays and birthdays made every special occasion magical. Irene and Harry's home was the central gathering place for Thanksgiving and Christmas family get-togethers. Everyone looked forward to her homemade noodles and out-of-this world pies. Her love for animals brought many a stray dog home until owners could be found. Her love for her family and friends will truly be missed. She was a loving person who always put others and animals first. She leaves her husband, Harry, of Leawood; her sons Carl, David, Charley, Doug and daughters Diane Winter and Pam Hannifan, and their families. Visitation will be held at McGilley and Hoge Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kan., from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. A memorial Mass will be held at Cure' of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, Kan., on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 10 a.m. Private inurnment will be at the mausoleum, Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa, Kan. The family wishes to thank the many doctors, nurses, staff and caregivers at St. Luke's Medical Center and the Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care Center for their excellent care of Irene. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Down Home Ranch, 20250 FM 619, Elgin, TX 78621, or at www.downhomeranch.org, a home for adults with intellectual disabilities where her grandson Mark Struby lives, or the Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care Center, 12000 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145. (Arr.: McGilley & Hoge Chapel, 913-642-3565.)