Irene Kowalski

Irene Lawrence Kowalski Cranford resident, active in community organizations Irene Lawrence Kowalski, 85, passed away peacefully in her home on Nov. 2, 2011. Friends are invited to visit from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday at Gray Memorial Funeral Home, 12 Springfield Avenue, Cranford (www.grayfuneralhomes.com to offer condolences). A Celebration of Life service will be held at Gray's at 10:30 am on Monday November 3, 2011, followed by interment at Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, N.J. Raised in Bloomfield and Newark, Mrs. Kowalski lived in Cranford since 1957. As a real estate agent for Shaheen Agency and other realtors, Mrs. Kowalski helped many Cranford residents find their homes. She and her husband and family enjoyed travelling while she worked as a reservations agent for Eastern Airlines. That interest became a life-long pleasure. Mrs. Kowalski was active in many groups, including Church Women United, Cranford Historical Society, Friends of the Cranford Public Library, League of Women Voters, and Wednesday Morning Club. She was a past member of the Cranford Dramatic Club and the Cranford Creative Art Club. She is remembered by family and friends for her intelligence, creativity, elegance, and her pungent sense of humor. She is predeceased by her loving husband of 66 years, Edwin. Surviving are her seven devoted children Barbara Kowalska, James, Bette Jane Kowalski, John, Teresa Kalyn, Christine Turner, and Paul; seven loving grandchildren, Jonathan, Scott, Jack, Holly, Will, Julia, and Colton, and one beloved great-grandchild, Sebastian.