We lost our wonderful Mother, Ida Irwin, on December 11, 2020 in the late evening.  On that final night, she was with her daughter, Laura Irwin Hausman, who provided the utmost care and compassion until the last moment.  Ida struggled with many ailments as she approached her 90th birthday.  All of her extended family members gave her loving care as her body and mind began to fail.  

She asked to see all of her children the weekend before her death.  Charles traveled from Dallas and Bill traveled from Virginia.  As we gathered around her bedside, Charles narrated childhood stories that brought back wonderful memories and put a smile on Ida’s face.  Her memory had been failing for a number of years so we were astounded when she corrected Bill, when he mentioned her childhood school incorrectly.  "Hilldrop, not Hillsdale" she said with some pride in her voice.  Apparently she had good teachers growing up.  She must have received an A+ for "Pride in your school".

EARLY HISTORY

Ida's ancestors moved from Norway and Sweden in the 1850s to the town of Fosston, MN to start a new life in America.  The tongue-in-cheek story is that it wasn't cold enough in Fosston so they moved to Canada...too warm in MN...uff-da!  The real story is that the Canadian government was offering 1000 free acres to anyone who would establish a homestead and farm the land.  Ida's paternal Grandparents moved there, built a house and started a farm which Ida's father inherited.  

EARLY YEARS

Ida began life on this farm in Ordale, Saskatchwean, Canada in 1930.  Life on a farm is hard work and the Great Depression of the 1930s made life even harder.  But she learned the lesson that adversity can make you or break you.  She rolled up her sleeves and with her 5 sisters and 1 brother she dug in: milking cows, collecting grain, raising cattle and hauling logs.  With the wisdom of her kind and loving father guiding the way the family made it through the hard years.  

Having successfully navigated through one struggle in life does not mean you will not have others.  Her mother, Betsy, became chronically ill and Ida cared for her for many years, often at the sake of her education.  But family was important to her and she dutifully cared for Betsy until her last breath.  She learned an important lesson about caring for family that she carried throughout her life.  

LATER YEARS

The 1950s brought significant changes in Ida's life.  She decided to go West to Vancouver, B.C. and take a job with a telephone company.  Along the way she met a man who was attending a Canadian Bible College and was preaching at local churches.  She eventually married that man, Fred Irwin, in 1955 and they traveled together in Canada and America.  Ida trained herself to play the piano and guitar and they would joyfully preach and sing together at churches everywhere.

Six children were born over the next decade which provided great joy and great sorrow.  Her first daughter, Betsy, died at the age of 5 from a severe infection and was a lifetime source of sadness for Ida.  She dedicated her life into caring for her remaining children and they have been her greatest source of happiness throughout her life.  She stated that her faith, her children and the values she learned from the farm brought her through the tragic time of Betsy's death.

The next decades had great joy and sorrow as well.  Her children were healthy and thriving and Fred was now teaching at a Bible College in San Antonio but it was difficult to raise 5 children on a teacher's salary.  She would not tolerate taking government assistance so she took various jobs to make ends meet.  She was famous for saying, "I did not come to America to take government handouts".  That self-reliance was a trait she passed on to her children.  She also worked hard to send money to her children in College. Again, the lessons from the farm that you face adversity were the hallmark of her life.  The greatest adversity of her life was the self-inflicted death of her husband.   Fred came down with an incurable neuromuscular disorder and died in 1990.  The grief was almost paralyzing.  But faith, family and the farm brought her through.  Significantly, family from Canada came down to Texas to provide support during this time of grief.

FINAL YEARS

Ida's final decades were filled with the joy of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.   She traveled to Canada with some of her grandchildren and took ocean cruises to Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean with her extended family.  We asked her several years ago what she wanted as her legacy and she said "the love for my children and for children everywhere".  Her specific request was that in lieu of flowers, that any donations go to Saint Jude's children's research hospital.  You can click the donation link on the main page or, if you prefer, mail donations here: St. Jude Gift Funds PO Box 1000, Dept 142 Memphis, TN 38148-0142  (Please make checks payable to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and reference memorial fund: "Give Kids a Chance")

Oh, she also LOVED chocolate milk shakes.  The next time you have one, drink it to the memory of Ida Irwin!