Obituary for Irene Clark (Gecowets)

Irene Clark (formerly Gecowets), born April 14, 1933, died July 6, 2017. Predeceased by two husbands Carl Gecowets and John Clark, two brothers, Don and Willis Nelson, and a sister, Barbara Weiss. She is survived by her children, Beth (David) Loveday, Anne Gecowets, Linda (Scott) White, Ann Stengl (Mike Lythjohan), and Rob (Cassi) Clark. Also survived by her grandchildren, David (Alison) Loveday, Victoria and Katherine Loveday, Kevin, Emma and Alannah White, Lucas and Nicolaus Stengl, Emma Clark, and also by her great-granddaughters, Lauren, Charlotte, and Molly Loveday and Sophia and Isabel Paiz. She will also be missed by her sister, Mary Nelson and many friends. Irene was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, making her a real “Yooper” but NEVER a fan of “that school up north.” She spent her high school days in Angola, Indiana. After nursing school and marriage to Carl, she moved to Westerville where she spent the rest of her life as a true Buckeye fanatic. She was a night shift nurse at The Ohio State University Hospitals for 38 years. Irene was active in anything she could get involved in. She was a sports fanatic, missing only one OSU home football game in 40 years. She could talk about any sport, and could point out that the referees were wrong if Ohio State or one of her grandchildren got called for a foul. She was active in her children’s lives, from timing at swim meets, camping with Girl Scouts, singing along with choirs, and watching endless concerts, meets, musicals, and games. Irene was delighted to be a grandmother, and later when she married John, she was equally delighted to be a step-grandmother. She was particularly proud of her many years working with the Relay for Life, along with many other charitable activities. She was very active with her church and especially enjoyed singing in the choir. Irene always loved to sing and was participating in the Silvertones choir with other seniors. She enjoyed traveling to many countries around the world. Later in life she learned to scuba dive and spent many happy days diving off of the coast of Belize. She was planning her next diving trip when she unexpectedly passed away. Visitation will be Sunday, July 9 at Hill Funeral Home in Westerville from 3 until 6 PM. There will be visitation at 10 AM on Monday, July 10 at Church of the Messiah, 51 N. Stat St., Westerville followed by services at 11:00. Burial immediately following at Blendon Central Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations Choir Plus Children’s Music Ministry at Church of the Messiah, or A Church For All People.