Irene M. Galbrecht, 90, Princeton
May 15, 1931 - May 17, 2021
Memorial Services will be at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 24, 2021, at Freshwaters United Methodist Church in Princeton, MN, for Irene Mathilda Galbrecht, age 90 of Princeton, who passed away on May 17, 2021, at Elim Care in Princeton. Pastor Kevin Fox will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday. Burial will be in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Irene Mathilda was born to Grace and William Ford on May 15, 1931, in Braham, where she grew up on a farm. She graduated from Braham High School in 1949 and moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a bookkeeper. Irene also worked helping patients at the Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis. She married Frederick (Fred) Christian Galbrecht on December 5, 1957, and traveled with him throughout the United States and Canada for his work until they settled in the Princeton area in 1961. They lived in a house on a few acres across from Silver Lake, east of Princeton, where they enjoyed canoeing and fishing in the summer and ice fishing and skating in the winter. In 1971, they moved to a farm in Bogus Brook Township where they raised crops, sheep, hogs, rabbits, and had a large vegetable garden. Irene worked as a home health aide serving elderly and disabled people in the Princeton area for 17 years. In 1997, they sold their farm and moved to a house in Princeton.
Irene worked as a volunteer with Princeton Food Pantry and Princeton Used Clothing Center for many years until her eyesight became too poor due to macular degeneration. Before her eyesight deteriorated, she was very skilled in knitting, crocheting, sewing, and quilting, and she made many lovely items for her family and friends. She attended Freshwaters United Methodist Church in Princeton since 1961, where she sang in the choir for many years and served in other areas.
Irene is survived by her three children, Holly, John, and Karl; her granddaughters, Brittany and Taylor; her sisters, Florence Nordenstrom and Dorothy Ford; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred; her parents, Grace and William; her brothers, Henry Ford and Arthur Ford; and her sister, Lillian Lind.
Memorials preferred to Princeton Pantry or Princeton Twice New Clothing and Treasures (formerly Princeton Used Clothing Center).