- Date Of Birth: July 4, 1926
- Date Of Death: August 2, 2019
- State: Montana
Irene Braaten passed away at the age of 93 the morning of Friday, August 2, 2019, at Palouse Country Assisted Living, Fairfield, Washington, a farming town South of Spokane. Irene was the widow of Howard Braaten, a WWII veteran who died in 1964.
Born to Anton and Anna Abraham at New Ulm, Minnesota, on July 4, 1926, Irene grew up and worked on the family farm located near the town of Gaylord, Minnesota. She was baptized and confirmed into the Lutheran faith at Emmanuel Lutheran in Gaylord. She moved with her family to McCone County in eastern Montana, in 1944. Irene worked hard doing chores and filling in while her older brother, Ray, served in the Army.
Irene married Howard Markus Braaten on March 15, 1947. She and Howard purchased a farm 10 miles northwest of Kalispell in 1956, where Irene continued to raise her children after the death of her husband in 1964. She was happy to be a mother and homemaker and to live life on the farm. When the children were grown, she sold the farm and moved into the town of Kalispell, where she enjoyed new activities and friends until moving to Spokane in her elderly years.
Irene is survived by four daughters and one son: Linda (David) Dybwad of Tacoma, WA, Anita (Larry) Day of Chelan, WA, Connie (Ron) Price of Spokane, WA, and Renee (Terry) Best of Spokane, WA, and James (Becky) Braaten, who recently moved to Wenatchee, WA. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren—Michael Braaten, Cindy Carrigan, Kim Kazmark, Amy Courtney, Matthew Dybwad, Joe Day, Jamie Sagastume, Carly Tu, Markus Burns, Cody Braaten, Jennifer Braaten, and Katherine Williams, plus 23 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Howard (age 46) in 1964, her brother, Ray, in 1997, and by three children—daughters, Darlene, age 13 months in 1948, Carol, age 46 in 1995, and recently by her son, Reuben, age 73, in June, 2019.
Howard and Irene were members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolf Point and joined Trinity Lutheran Church when they moved to Kalispell. Irene remained a member of Trinity and raised her family faithfully attending church. Her faith in God was important to her and sustained her through many challenges. Gardening, sewing, and baking bread were a big part of Irene’s activities as she did her best to raise her children on the farm.
