Irene Hildebrand

PRINCETON — Irene Mae Hildebrand, 91, of Princeton passed away Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, at Liberty Village (Hawthorne) in Princeton, with her daughter by her side.

Irene, lovingly known as “I” by her family, was born on Nov. 1, 1927, in Oglesby to the late Thomas and Beatrice (Brogan) George. She attended LaSalle-Peru High School. She met the late L. Paul Hildebrand at the Peru roller rink. They later married in Oglesby on Feb. 14, 1948.

She was a homemaker while her children were young, then worked as a sales clerk at Nelson’s Drug Store. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Ladies of the Elks Club, where she also served as president.

She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, serving as an ambassador along with Bill Nelson. She traveled to Dublin, Ireland, and presented Dublin with the key to the city of Princeton. She was a member of St. Matthews Lutheran Church and worked with Meals on Wheels. She was kind, giving, loving and enjoyed her volunteer work. Irene was a proud Gold Coat Society member at Perry Memorial Hospital.

She enjoyed bowling and served on several teams at Pleasant Lanes. Irene enjoyed crafting and almost everyone in her family got one of her sweatshirts. Playing bingo, roller skating, fishing and interacting with others were some of her favorite activities. Irene loved to travel and was able to see Ireland, Europe, Germany and Austria, just to name a few. She loved to dance, especially with Paul.

She is survived by her two children, Teri (Keith) Miller of Columbus, Ind., and Tom (Nancy) Hildebrand of Tampa, Fla.; her grandchildren, Brit (Luke) Tucker of New Palestine, Ind., Terynn (Zach) Stewart of New Albany, Ind., and Kelsey Dilday of Indianapolis, Ind.; her great-grandchildren, Cora (4) and Emma (2) Tucker, and Posey (4) and Wells (1) Stewart; two stepgrandchildren, Charlie and Bailey Goff; and one sister-in-law, Dona Hildebrand.

Irene was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, L. Paul Hildebrand (May 17, 2015); three brothers, Ed George, Bay George and Chuck George; two brothers-in-law, Bob Hildebrand and Brian Hildebrand; and two sisters-in-law, Lois Jack and Geraldine Nelson.

Services for Irene will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Princeton with the Rev. Scott Schmidt officiating.

Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at the Norberg Memorial Home in Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be left at St. Matthews Lutheran Church.

Online condolences may be left at www.norbergfh.com.