Irene Munson

Irene Nichol Munson passed away peacefully on January 14, 2022. Irene was born September 6, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Dallas Wayne and Amy Severson Nichol. Amy passed away when Irene was only a toddler, and Irene was cared for by a village of family and friends throughout her life. Being a Nichol meant skiing at Alta was in her blood, and she loved shushing down the slopes. Irene graduated from Granite High School in 1953 and was a proud “Granite Farmer” all her life (when attending the Skyline-Granite football game with one of her kids, she stood and sang the entire Granite school song all by herself while sitting in the Skyline section. Said kid pretended not to know her). In September 1954 she traveled across the country to Jacksonville Florida to marry her sweetheart, E. Ivin Munson, who was in the Navy’s aviation electrician training at the time. With that she became a Navy Wife, and she and Ivin began a life that bound them together as they supported each other through joy and pain. They found solace in each other as they experienced the loss of their first two babies, Amy Irene and Connie Jean minutes after birth. They were beyond thrilled to later welcome two daughters and a son to their family and reminded those children often that they were considered miracles. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake temple.

Irene graduated from Comptometer School (it’s a mechanical 25-pound calculator from the old days), and worked for various businesses balancing their books. She worked as a nurse’s assistant in a Children’s hospital in California, then at Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah. She later worked at Wasatch Villa nursing home. Irene worked for Arctic Circle for years, eventually buying the business with Ivin and opening Munson’s Burger Den. For 15 years they made great friends and were responsible for the neighborhood’s need to buy bigger pants as they provided irresistible burgers and shakes that won multiple awards. Ivin and Irene later worked together at Fish Lake and had plenty of fun stories of that adventure. In later years they enjoyed travelling, either in their hippie van or taking bus tours.

Irene was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served faithfully until her health declined. She and Ivin were often given the “difficult” class to teach, having a knack for making the kids feel loved and important and quickly became their favorite teachers.

Irene’s best friend, companion, and partner in crime was her sister, who everyone knew as “Aunt Wanda”. Whenever they were together there was a lot of mischief and giggling. Stories of their exploits could fill a book, and many of those adventures would come with the warning “Do not attempt this at home!”

Irene is survived by her sweetheart Ivin, her children Cindy (Randy) Voorhees, Blake (Marilyn) Munson, Tammy (Jon) Stansfield), her sister RaNae Fausett, 13 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents Wayne and Amy, stepmother Leith Nichol, brothers Jack, Jay, Larry and Merlin, sisters Wanda and Dawn, and daughters Amy and Connie. If there are angels in Heaven in charge of keeping the noise level down, they will have their work cut out for them when the Nichols get together to welcome Irene home.

Due to the rise in Covid cases, funeral services will be broadcast online on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 11:00 AM. Services may be accessed below, please click the small TV box. In lieu of flowers, donations to Primary Children’s Hospital would be greatly appreciated.