Irene Vicary (née Kennedy)

The lights went dim on Irene’s Kitchen and the world felt a little less kind as Irene Vicary (née Kennedy) was lost to us, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at the spry young age of 88. Irene blessed this world on March 23, 1936, as the third oldest of 9 children in Skunks Misery in her grandmother’s house in Bothwell, Ontario. Her husband Bob used to say “She was the pick of the litter”.

Left brokenhearted are her sons Tim, Jamie (Shari) and her daughter Lynn. She had bragging rights and the title of Grandma leaving behind Dakota (Will), DJ (Adrianna), Megan (Stephan), Nate, and Matt and was thoroughly proud of her recent promotion to GG for Harrison. Also survived by her, are her brothers Bill, and Donald, sisters Mary, and Shirley, many nieces and nephews and her special friend Anne Farley. Irene was also pre-deceased by her late husband Robert Vicary, and her daughter-in-law Cathy Hatton-Vicary.

Irene met Bob the love of life in 1952 and was secretly married when she was 16 years old in Essex Ontario. Irene started her career as a high school secretary and then as an Administrative Assistant at Stokely Van Camp. Later in her career after the kids were grown, she had fond memories of her time at Boughdale Hobby feeding Bob’s affinity for toy trains. Growing up in a household of kids, Irene said she came from modest means and relied heavily on her imagination. Most might not know that she was a very talented artist. She enjoyed a very full life travelling with her husband Bob, and raising a beautiful family for which she was incredibly proud. She was the light in the lives of everyone around her. Her constant smile and jovial presence made everyone around her feel the love she had for them. Irene was an active member of her community welcoming new folks to the London area representing the Welcome Wagon and wearing the hat of “Neighbourhood Mom” to many Oakridge kids. Nothing made her happier than cramming 7 people into one car, sleeping in an 18-foot Golden Falcon travelling to the East Coast, or taking the entire family to Disney World. She loved laughing, family gatherings, the colour purple, dining out, manicures, scrapbooking, her kids and her grandkids. There wasn’t much she didn’t like, except for being on the highway, eating at Italian restaurants, and avocados. When you think about a person’s life you think of the impact on the lives they touched. If you had the pleasure of eating in Irene’s kitchen with a made-to-order meal, or a personalized homemade card she spent hours on, you will know exactly what we mean. (You would find yourself flipping the card over to see the value of the card, the grandkids would see who had the highest to date.)  A beautiful bright light has gone out, but will now shine on all of us left behind to figure out what a life without her looks like. The problem with loving someone so much is it’s so heavy on the heart when you lose them.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Irene’s life to be held at Westview Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland Road North, London on Monday, July 15, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 pm and 10:00-11:00 am on July 16, 2024, one hour before the funeral service.