Irene Schulkin (née Cohen), was a devoted mother, grandmother, medical researcher, realtor, and Holocaust Museum docent who lived a life marked by quiet determination, intellectual curiosity, and an enduring love of learning. She passed away peacefully at the age of 97.

Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, the youngest of three sisters, Irene was drawn to science at a time when few women entered the field. She earned a degree in biology from Boston University and began a distinguished career at the Children's Cancer Research Foundation, now the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she rose to lead the research laboratory. She later directed the blood bank at Boston Beth Israel Hospital, known for her precision, confidence, and sense of responsibility in work that directly touched patients' lives.

Irene married Dr. Murray Schwartz, and together they raised two children. His early death marked a turning point, one she navigated with steadiness and resolve, rebuilding her life with characteristic grace and strength.

Several years later, at the former Grossinger's resort in the Catskills, Irene met Dr. Morris Schulkin, a physicist with the Naval Oceanographic Office. They married and settled in Potomac, Maryland, where Irene launched a successful second career in real estate, becoming a trusted presence in the community.

Retirement brought new pursuits. Irene studied at the Evergreen/Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and volunteered at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where visitors remember her clear, measured approach to sharing difficult history. She followed the performing arts closely and was an avid player of duplicate bridge and canasta. Friends recall her quick mind at the card table and the pleasure she took in the games' social rituals. Even in her later years, Irene remained engaged, social, and fiercely independent.

She is survived by her daughter, Mindy (Charles) Postal and Michael (Cass) Schwartz; four grandchildren who treasured her wisdom; and a large extended family for whom she served as matriarch. To her grandchildren especially, she passed on her deep appreciation for learning, culture, and living with purpose. Those who knew Irene remember her resilience, her intellectual spark, and the quiet strength that defined each chapter of her remarkable life.

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