Obituary for Irene J. Dunn
Irene Dunn, 95, of Cuyahoga Falls, passed away on January 29, 2023, peacefully in her sleep. She was born as the only child to the late Louis and Alice (Pape) Ulrich, on July 10, 1927. Irene graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1944 at the age of 16. Her teachers let her skip the 4th grade because she was one of the smartest kids in her class. She married the late Thomas E. Dunn on February 15, 1947 after he returned from the Marines.
Irene is survived by five children: Thomas Jr. (Kim) Dunn; Dianne (Charles) Heidrick; Kevin Dunn; Christopher (Barb) Dunn; and William (Cheryl) Dunn. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Marie and Joe Dunn; Adam Heidrick; Emily Ersek; Sean, Connor, and Madeline Dunn; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter-in-law Denise, both of her parents, and her loving husband Thomas E. Dunn. They were married for 67 years.
Irene loved music and was an accomplished accordion player in the 1930s and 40s. She started taking lessons at O'Neil's Department store when she was 8-years-old and eventually became the store's music teacher during World War II. She was given free lessons in exchange for playing at various locations in the Akron area including at the bedsides of veterans.
Aside from her love of music, Irene enjoyed gardening and cooking. One of her most memorable moments was in 1976 when she was a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-off Contest for her "Reuben-in-the-Round Crescents" recipe. She was interviewed on national television by bake-off host, Bob Barker. Her recipe is included in Pillsbury's Best of the Bake-Off cookbook published in 1996.
Irene was immensely proud of her family and leaves behind many beautiful memories. Her family would like to thank Hospice care at Danbury Senior Living for helping to make her final days as comfortable as possible.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 3 at 11 a.m. at Saint Eugene Catholic Church (1821 Munroe Falls Ave., Cuyahoga Falls) where friends may call 10 to 11. Burial will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Please arrive at the cemetery by 1:45.
Irene is survived by five children: Thomas Jr. (Kim) Dunn; Dianne (Charles) Heidrick; Kevin Dunn; Christopher (Barb) Dunn; and William (Cheryl) Dunn. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Marie and Joe Dunn; Adam Heidrick; Emily Ersek; Sean, Connor, and Madeline Dunn; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter-in-law Denise, both of her parents, and her loving husband Thomas E. Dunn. They were married for 67 years.
Irene loved music and was an accomplished accordion player in the 1930s and 40s. She started taking lessons at O'Neil's Department store when she was 8-years-old and eventually became the store's music teacher during World War II. She was given free lessons in exchange for playing at various locations in the Akron area including at the bedsides of veterans.
Aside from her love of music, Irene enjoyed gardening and cooking. One of her most memorable moments was in 1976 when she was a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-off Contest for her "Reuben-in-the-Round Crescents" recipe. She was interviewed on national television by bake-off host, Bob Barker. Her recipe is included in Pillsbury's Best of the Bake-Off cookbook published in 1996.
Irene was immensely proud of her family and leaves behind many beautiful memories. Her family would like to thank Hospice care at Danbury Senior Living for helping to make her final days as comfortable as possible.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 3 at 11 a.m. at Saint Eugene Catholic Church (1821 Munroe Falls Ave., Cuyahoga Falls) where friends may call 10 to 11. Burial will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Please arrive at the cemetery by 1:45.