Irene Elizabeth Marchese

IRENE ELIZABETH MARCHESE (nee Mihalik), age 83.

She was born July 22, 1940, in Grays Landing, Pennsylvania, to Mihaly Istvan ("Steve") Mihalik and Anna Pastor. She died January 8, 2024, after a short illness, in Medina, Ohio. Beloved wife of the late Gennor Marchese; dear mother of Laura Cacioppo (Jeff) of Medina, Ohio, Lisa Khatoun (Mohamad) of North Ridgeville, Ohio, and Sandra Wocicki (Scot) of Berkeley, California; loving grandmother of Ahmad Khatoun, Ali Khatoun, and Tyler Meder, and dear aunt to many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews, as well as many, many friends. She was preceded in death by her loving brothers John Mihalik, William S. Mihalik, and Steven F. Mihalik, and sister Julia Brewer.

She attended Masontown Business College and moved to Cleveland in 1957 and married Gennor Robert Marchese on September 7, 1963.

Irene had a kind and vivacious spirit, and a quick wit that brought laughter to whomever she met. She often would say "I love to be around people" and "I love helping people" and "I like to be usefuI."

Irene loved to work and was proudly employed until just last year at the Global Glazer Group. Working brought her so much meaning and joy she never wanted to retire and until the day she died she expressed the desire to have another job. She spent several years employed by BP America in the Human Resources department and made many good friends there.

Irene loved the US Navy and spent many years attending reunions with her late husband. She was a parishioner at St. John Bosco in Parma and enjoyed volunteering for her church. She also was a devoted fan of the Cleveland Guardians and the Cleveland Browns, a fan of music of all sorts, and in the last several years had become a big fan of Phil Collins, Genesis, and Tom Petty. She loved to dance and do the polka, and was proud of her Hungarian roots.

Perhaps most of all she loved driving and listening to music blaring on her car stereo (and had a bit of a lead foot).

She is greatly loved and will be deeply missed.

Donations, in her memory, may be made to the James Center www.giveto.osu.edu for pancreatic cancer research. Mass of Christian Burial at St. John Bosco Church, 6480 Pearl Rd., Parma Heights, Saturday January 13, 2024 at 10 a.m. followed by a celebration of life at the Aviator, 20920 Brookpark Rd., Cleveland.  Friends received at THE RIPEPI FUNERAL HOME, 5762 PEARL RD. (AT SNOW RD.), FRIDAY 4-7 P.M.