Obit: Masters, Irene Delores (Vollmert) (1941 - 2015)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Masters, Vollmert, Lougee, Christie

----Source: Erdine Payne, (Spencer, WI) 8/06/2020

Masters, Irene Delores (Vollmert) (7 January 1941 – 20 January 2015) With Flag

(Note I am putting together an obit for Irene, from information I gained on papers from the funeral via Erdine, who is a girlfriend from NHS of mine and was also pen pal and girlfriend of Irene.)

Irene Delores Vollmert was born on January 7, 1941, in Estheville, Iowa, to Max and Greta Vollmert, who were farmers there, Irene was the youngest of six children. She died on January 20, 2015 at Dove Cottage in Caloundra, Australia.

When Irene was three years old her three older brothers returned home from the war and were so excited to meet their baby sister for the first time, they decided to take her shopping in the town as they wanted to buy her a gift. Irene, naturally, chose the most expensive doll in the shop which meant her brothers had to pool their earnings together to buy it for her. Irene named her “Sweetiepie” and has remained her lifelong companion.

The Vollmert family moved to Neillsville, in 1944, to a farm east of Neillsville, later upon her father’s death, her mother sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Victor St. John and now the Industrial Park is located there. Irene attended school at Neillsville and became involved with the school band taking up playing the Clarinet. She graduated from Neillsville High School in 1959. (The doll and clarinet were on display at her funeral. Dmk)

After high school, on July 1, 1959, being from a military family, (with four brothers and grandfather and dad had also served) she joined the Army WAC, assigned to the 14th WAC Band after basic training at Fort McClellan, AL. And two highlights were being selected as “WAC of the Month” in Oct. 1960, and secondly, playing and marching in the inaugural parade in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20, 1961 for John F. Kennedy.

When discharged she married Dave Lougee, had a child and later divorced from Mr. Lougee. Then went back to the Army and worked in various locations in CA and even Puerto Rico, part of the time for the Navy. Then started pen paling in 1975 and met her Aussie pen pal, Kevin Masters in person in CA in 1977, and they then got married on Feb. 4, 1977 and decided to move to Sydney, Australia, living there until after the Olympics.

She worked at various places in Sydney and other towns of Australia, moved three times, lastly northerly to Caloundra, a tourist town near the ocean, north of Brisbane to a retirement village.

Kevin got cancer and passed on. Later she also had cancer. Well now she was determined after living there so long, 32 years, to become an “Aussie”, so she took that oath on December 16, 2014, at the Mayors Chambers in Caloundra.

Irene was preceded in death by her father, Max Vollmert, in 1959 and her mother, Greta Vollmert Diercks in 1982.

The Service in Loving Memory of Irene Delores Masters was held on 29th of January 2015, at 1:00 p.m. at the Gregson & Weight Chapel, Caloundra, with Heather Christie in charge. Military Honors were held for Irene.
 

Note: See the obituary for her mother,  Obit: Diercks, Greta (1901 - 1982) for names of brothers and other information. Dmk ((Irene was one of my high school girlfriends.))