Irene Ruth Ward

Funeral services for Irene Ward will be held Thursday 11:00 AM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Rochester. The Reverend David Berg will officiate. Burial will follow at Pine Island Cemetery. Mrs. Ward, 86, of Rochester, died Monday August 4, 2008 at Madonna Meadows in Rochester, where she had briefly resided.
Irene Ruth Shanks was born June 2, 1922 in Olmsted County. She was raised on a farm near Pine Island. She married Arnold Ward on July 13, 1942 in Pine Island. The couple farmed until 1965. Then, until her retirement in 1985, Mrs. Ward worked in the housekeeping department of the Kahler Hotel in Rochester.
She was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. She enjoyed embroidery, reading, bingo, collecting unicorns, and baking.
Mrs. Ward is survived by four sons, Arnold Ward of Rochester, David (Cindy) Ward of Rochester, Ronnie (Mary) Ward of Yuma, Arizona, and John (Deb) Ward of St. Croix, Wisconsin; three daughters, Vicki Jordan of Ellsworth, Wisconsin, Joyce Ward of Rochester, and Ruth (David) Schneider of Rochester; 26 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; four sisters, Gladys Ellefson of Rochester, Vivian Carey of Rochester, Mary Dorman of Fountain, and Delores Krahn of Rochester; and two brothers, Rollie (Donna) Shanks of Pine Island, and John (Mary) Shanks of Rochester.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1984, two infant sons, a daughter, and two brothers.
Friends may call Wednesday from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Mahn Family Funeral Home � Rochester Chapel. The visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday.