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In memory of

Anita Joan Irwin

Clare, MI, USA

February 12, 1934 - May 17, 2018

Feb 12, 1934 - May 17, 2018

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Anita Joan (Steadman) Irwin passed away on May 17, 2018 at the age of 84.

Anita was born February 12, 1934 in Brighton, MI the first of three daughters of Mary (Fitzpatrick) Steadman and Walter Steadman. She spent her early years in Peck, Michigan sometimes lending a hand in her parents’ drug store where her father was a local pharmacist. Anita attended public schools and graduated from Peck High School in 1952.

During her high school years she met a local boy from Yale, Richard (Dick) Irwin, with whom she fell in love and later married in St. Olaf's Lutheran Church in Detroit on May 14, 1953. At the time, Dick was serving as a Boatswain’s Mate in the US Navy. After leaving the service, Dick and Anita settled down back home in Michigan.

Anita was known by her family and friends as a strong woman. She loved keeping busy – not in the traditional female roles of her time, but with jobs ranging from factory worker to welder. She especially enjoyed assembly line type jobs where she said she could let her mind wander to far-off exotic places, like Tahiti, basking in the sun and playing in the sand.

While Anita didn’t have “hobbies” to speak of, she did enjoy camping and spending time at the beach with Dick and their three children, Richard (Dick), Linda, and Cathy. She always said the air was cleaner and the food tasted better there.

During family functions, the Irwins were always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Anita served as “straight man” to the family comedian, husband Dick. They kept the rest of the family in stitches, making fond memories for all in the process.

Anita’s one “famous” eccentricity was her belief in UFOs. She was never convinced that we landed on the moon, but she firmly believed that aliens from outer space were visiting our planet regularly. But that was ‘Nita, as she was affectionately known. Despite the raised eyebrows and snickers, she stuck to her guns as she did with all of her commitments. Never one to back down from a confrontation, Anita protected her children as a mama bear protects her cubs.

Along with her three children, Anita was blessed with seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Grandma ‘Nita always had a hug and a kiss ready for her babies, no matter what the age.

Her husband, Dick, was a hopeless slave to his impulses, and frequently bought, sold, or traded things on his own that were of such magnitude that it completely changed their lives. Thankfully, Anita was a master at adapting to these changes and learned to move an entire household with three children to another city at the drop of a hat. On one such instance, she became the proud co-owner and top employee of an automatic car wash in Flint knowing absolutely nothing about the business. But that was ‘Nita.

Much of the joy in Anita’s life left with the passing of her husband, Dick, on February 16, 2012. They had been married for 58 years. Now in her late seventies, Anita no longer needed to care for her ailing husband but instead turned her efforts to “sprucing up the house,” that involved trips to the crawl space under the house, some ladder-work, and hours on the riding lawn mower. But that was ‘Nita. Old age wasn’t going to slow her down.

At the age of 84, the ravages of dementia and old age finally DID catch up with Anita, as she passed peacefully into the night with her sisters and daughters at her bedside. Her final wish was to spare her children the expense and trouble of a funeral; and instead opted to be transported to a crematorium where her ashes would later be returned to her family for interment in the national cemetery alongside her partner in life, her husband Dick. She was adamant about these orders and would not be persuaded otherwise. But that was ‘Nita.

A loving mother, wife, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend, Anita Irwin was a force to be reckoned with and a tough ol’ gal that will be missed dearly by all. A memorial service for Anita will be arranged at a later date convenient for all - just as 'Nita wanted.

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