Florence Eileen “Kitty” Irons passed away peacefully on Friday, Oct, 16, 2020, at Kaplan Hospice in Newburgh. She was 90 years ago.
Kitty was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 5, 1930, the daughter of George Gustav Kloser and Nellie Mae MacNamara.
After earning her Master’s degree in library science from what is now SUNY Albany, she first worked as a librarian for the U.S. Army on Okinawa. That was followed by two tours as an Army librarian in Germany.
She worked in New Orleans, Louisiana, then went back to working for the Army at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where she met her husband-to-be, Martin Haines Irons.
They married in 1962 in Waterville, N.Y. Marty’s Army career took them to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, then to Bamberg, Germany, then back to Fort Sill, with his final tour being at the United States Military Academy at West Point. They had two sons and one daughter.
After Marty retired from the Army in 1973, they settled in Goshen.
Kitty again worked as an Army librarian, and they both retired fully in 1992.
She loved to play bridge, to quilt, to sing with the Sweet Adelines chorus and she was a member of the altar rosary society and sang in the choir at St. John’s church.
She is survived by her husband, son Martin Joseph Irons and wife Ann McAllister of Fair Haven, Vermont; granddaughters Megan Irons, Allison Irons and Erin Southworth (Nick), sisters Mary Helen Swartzmiller and Marian “Pat” Sequare and brothers Jerome Kloser (Carol) and Ralph Kloser (Mary).
She was predeceased by daughter Mary Florence Irons, son Mark Lawrence Irons and brother George MacNamara Kloser.
Because of the virus there will be no visitation or funeral at this time.
Burial of cremains will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Goshen at the family’s convenience.
The family wishes to thank the staffs at Schervier Pavilion and Kaplan Hospice for their great care of her in her time of need.
Donations in her memory can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 4550 Montgomery Ave., Suite 1100, Bethesda, MD 20814 (www.cff.org).
Arrangements by the Donovan Funeral Home in Goshen.