Obituary of Irene White

Irene Joan White was born inDecember, 1961 to Jake & Tena Ens of Carrot River, SK. She was their middle child, having an older sister Darlene & a younger sister Norma. The Ens family moved to Nipawin, SK. when Irene was a young preschooler. Throughout her  childhood & growing up years, Irene was blessed to enjoy family times with her grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins on both the Ens & Ginter sides in the Nipawin & Carrot River areas.  Her family faithfully attended & served in the Nipawin Alliance church. As a young girl, Irene made a decision to accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. She was blessed with an exceptional talent of beautifully playing the piano by ear & used her gift to play at youth group, in church & at family get-togethers. Irene received all her schooling in Nipawin, graduating from grade 12 at L.P. Miller in 1979. She met Lorrie White in 1976 at church youth group. Their friendship blossomed into romance & it was in 1980 that she married the love of her life! Together, they established a new farmyard on the White family farm at Armley, planting a shelterbelt, shrubs, vegetable garden & flower beds, which evolved over the years into a beautiful park-like haven.

In 1981, Irene & Lorrie welcomed their firstborn, a daughter, Kimberly Dawn. Fifteen months later, in 1982, their son, Kent Douglas was born, making the family complete!  Even while being a busy Mom, Irene made time to garden, pick berries & preserve her bountiful  harvests, canning & freezing vegetables & fruits. She spent many long hours taking great pride & pleasure in keeping a well-groomed yard, garden & flowerbeds without a weed in sight! Her love of gardening led to her working at Nipawin Greenhouse for 14 seasons. She

enjoyed this work & formed many friendships while working there. 

 

In Genesis 2:18 the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him. Well, Irene certainly was the right helper for Lorrie. She supported him & worked along side him in various endeavors such as raising & selling organic turkeys. Recently, in the summer of 2020, she helped Lorrie tear the shingles off the shop roof & replace with new ones. Of course, the temperature was hotter than normal, but she stood the course & helped him to the very end of the project! Not only was Irene a hard worker in her yard but also in her house, keeping it spotless! Never would you find a speck of dust anywhere! She literally lived by Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. 

In her kitchen, Irene whipped up many delicious meals and always had fresh cinnamon biscuits, butterhorns, cookies or muffins ready for Kim and Kent after school. Her signature dish, “Creamed Carrots” was always a favorite at family potlucks! The family affectionally called Irene “Martha”, (after Martha in the Bible) as she was always in the kitchen preparing, serving and cleaning up after meals! What a  blessing she was to us! Irene’s discipline in self-care was admirable! She faithfully exercised, walking a mile or two or more each day! It didn’t matter what the weather was like, she walked in the suffocating heat of summer, the biting winds of spring & fall, & the frosty temperatures of winter. She never seemed to be tempted to eat those sweet treats or other unhealthy foods! Irene was a shining example of the scripture in 1 Cor. 6: 19-20; Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. Yes, Irene really did this! 

Throughout the years, Irene & Lorrie’s favorite activity has been going for country drives. They enjoyed many road trips exploring the prairies from Cypress Hills to the northern lakes of the Hanson Lake Road. Many memories were made on quadding adventures to  various locations including The Iron Horse Trail in Alberta. Irene loved her family deeply. She took great joy in spending time with them & was especially proud of her grandchildren. She loved to show pictures of them and tell you all about them! In the fall of 2020, after Irene received her diagnosis, she claimed a promise from God’s Word. “Psalm 118:17 I will not die but live & proclaim what the Lord has done.” Though we are saddened that this did not come to pass here on earth, we rejoice that Irene has received her ultimate healing in heaven, free from suffering, reunited with loved ones that have gone on before & worshiping Jesus with the angels!

 

Irene leaves to treasure her memory:

*Her loving husband Lorrie

*Daughter Kimberly & (Les) Adrian [Levaeh, Nevaeh, Lola, Liam]

*Son Kent & (Tanya) White [River, Brynlee]

*Sisters: Darlene & (Ben) Klassen, Norma & (Randy) Marchuck

*Mother-in-law: Ruby White *Sister-in-law: Barb & (Neil) Hildebrandt

*Nieces: Sharee Harstone, Chantel (Dave) Whitelaw,

Cassandra (Jordan) Dalsgaard, Larissa Marchuk, Mandy (Dan) Thiessen.

*Nephew: Mitch (Genevieve) Hildebrandt.

*Numerous aunts, uncles, cousins & friends.

She is predeceased by:

*Grandparents: Pete & Mary Ens, Henry & Tina Ginter

*Parents: Jake & Tena Ens

*Father-in-law: Norman White *aunts, uncles & cousins

 

Memorial service will be held at a later date.