Irene Fenderson

GORHAM — Irene R. Methot Fenderson, 84, of Gorham, passed away peacefully into eternal peace on Tuesday, June 28, 2016.

Irene was born in Westbrook and attended Westbrook High School.

She loved to sing and she was a great tap dancer, and was an avid Boston Red Sox fan. Irene worked tirelessly to provide for her family of five children.

Her strength and her attitude in overcoming obstacles in her life were wonderful examples for her children.

She attended the University of Southern Maine and earned a degree in Business Administration. Irene worked at the Portland Probate office for a while. She volunteered as a grandmother at Portland and Westbrook school systems for 12 years. She invested thousands of hours improving the childhoods of hundreds of children by words of encouragement, helping them to read and write, and with math skills enhancing their educational opportunities.

She won many awards for volunteering; one was the Presidential Citizen award. She will be remembered as one of the greater Portland grandmother volunteers who made a difference, but more so as a loving mother and grandmother.

She was a beloved mother to Priscilla Urban of Westbrook, John Booker of Naples, Deborah Ward of Carrabassett Valley, Christopher Cooke of Florida, and Richard Cooke of Naples. She had seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She is survived by her brother, Albert Methot of Portland.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 8, 2016, at 10 a.m. at St. Hyacinth Church (St. Anthony’s Parish). Online condolences can be expressed at: blaisandhayfuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to The Westbrook Food Pantry, 426 Bridge Street, Westbrook, ME 04092.