Irene Ruth Kroske-Soule, 97, of Bloomington, Ind., and Apopka, Fla., also a longtime resident of Minot, passed away at her home in Apopka on May 6, 2012.
Born Nov. 9, 1914, in Minot, she was the daughter of Albert and Lydia (Fischer) Boynton.
Irene graduated from Minot High School then went on to study home economics at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She taught home economics in Minneapolis prior to marrying her first husband, William Kroske, in 1939. They settled in Minot. In October 1948, they adopted a daughter. William passed on in March 1985 and Irene moved to Apopka in 1988. She met and married her second husband, William Soule, in 1991. William Soule passed on in December 1998. Irene then decided she wanted to live in Bloomington, Ind., and Apopka, Fla., so she became a snowbird in 2000.
Irene was a loving wife, mother and grandmother who devoted her life to the study of Christian Science. She was a long time member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts and was a member of various branch churches.
She was preceded in death by: her parents, Albert and Lydia Boynton; her first husband, William Kroske; her second husband, William Soule; and two nieces, Sharon Eller and Alberta Shackleford.
She is survived by: her daughter, Markaye (Robert) Bleth, of Bloomington, Ind.; three grandchildren, Matthew (Nagako Hirohashi) Bleth of Spencer, Ind., Jacob (Claudia Gugel) Bleth, of Durango, Colo., and Lydia (Dannie) Chandler, of Bloomington, Ind.; five great-grandchildren, Caroline and Dannie III Chandler, of Bloomington, Ind., Orrin, Kyle and Audrey Bleth of Durango, Colo. She is also survived by her older sister, Esther Eller (103) of Leslie, Ark.; nieces, Kay (Jack) Benefiel, of Leslie, Ark., and Fay (Curtis) Jennings and Cherie Eller, all of Harrisburg, Ill.; and one nephew, Jerry (Yvonne) Eller, of Trout Creek, Mont.
A private family memorial service will be held in early July in Bloomington, Ind.