Obituary of Irene Avena

Rone Funeral Service 856-691-4222 Irene M. Avena, 82, of Vineland, NJ, passed away peacefully on June 19, 2022, surrounded by her husband and family. Irene was born in Vineland to parents Rocco and Lucille (Ieropoli) Girone on July 24, 1939. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1957, where she met her high school sweetheart and soon to be husband "Eddie". After high school, Irene began working as a switch board operator at Bell Telephone. After marriage, she then left her job to start her family. Irene enjoyed many years of happiness being able to stay home and raise her family which gave her much joy and many memories to cherish. Once the kids were grown, Irene decided to pursue a career in the nursing field. In 1978, Irene graduated from nursing school and became a Licensed Practical Nurse working at the HMO OB Clinic and on the maternity floor in Newcomb Hospital. She often reminisced about those days and was proud of the accomplishments she made while helping others. Irene served as a member of the Jaycee-etts Organization, was a commissioner of the Cumberland County Republican Party, and a member of the Sacred Heart Athletic Association. She also was a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church where she volunteered on the Advisory Board and served as Eucharistic Minister. She had a strong devout faith which helped her during her final days. Out of all of the things Irene had been involved in in her life, nothing brought her more joy than spending time with her husband, kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and friends, and especially her dog "Lucky" who was always by her side. Irene will be remembered as the shining light at any party, the voice on the other end of that daily phone call, and the best mom, mom-mom, and friend to everyone in her life. Irene will be deeply missed by her loving husband of 60 years, Edward Avena; her children, Teresa Shindel (Rick), Beverly DiMatteo (Jeff), and Edward Avena Jr. (Trisha). Irene was the proud mom-mom to Tammie Biagi (Nick), Carissa, Dana, Ricky, Logan, Jaime, Madison; and great-grandmom to Ava, Liliana, and Dante. She is also survived by her three brothers, Nick Girone (Judy), Felix "Phil" Girone (Janice), and Joseph Girone (Elaine). Irene was predeceased by her parents Rocco and Lucille (Ieropoli), her in-laws Louis & Jennie (Bertolla) and her brother-in-law Daniel Avena. A church visitation will be held on Saturday morning, June 25, 2022, from 9 AM to 10:45 AM followed by a funeral mass at 11am from Christ The Good Shepherd Parish - Church Of Sacred Heart, 1010 East Landis Avenue, Vineland. Interment will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery, 741 E Walnut Road, Vineland. ARRANGEMENTS are under the supervision of Rone Funeral Service, 1110 East Chestnut Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360 Donations in memory of Irene can be made to: Christ The Good Shepherd Parish, 1655 Magnolia Road, Vineland, NJ 08361. To send online condolences please visit our website at www.RONEFUNERALSERVICE.com