Obituary of Irene Marguerite Byrne, Reserve Mines

It is with great sadness in our hearts, that we announce the passing of Irene Marguerite (Brewer) Byrne on July 8, 2024 at the age of 80. Irene was born on October 22, 1943 to the late Percy and Vivian (Woods) Brewer.

Aside from her parents, Irene was predeceased by her loving husband, Allister Byrne, brother, George, sisters, Beryl and Vivian "Ginny", sister-in-law, Donna and son-in-law, Ricky Walton.

Irene loved sitting at Dominion Beach, enjoying a coffee with her special dog, Pebbles, getting together on Sundays to play cards with the girls, taking long drives, bowling with her good friends at Town Centre Lanes, and playing darts.

For better or worse, Irene was a faithful Blue Jays fan and would have smiled knowing that they won on the day she passed. Irene was a woman of deep faith, and a long-time member of Holy Cross Church in Glace Bay. She will be remembered by us all for her immeasurable strength, her sense of humor (often with surprise costumes included), the love she showed her family, and the many happy years she spent and shared with us all in Catalone.

She is survived by her 6 children, Carl MacKenzie (Arlene), Michael MacKenzie, Susan Walton, Ricky (Yvonne) MacKenzie, Darlene Gillis (Joe), all of Glace Bay, NS, Lisa MacNeil (Alex), of River Bourgeois, NS; as well as siblings, Percy "Hubba" Brewer (Vina), Brian Brewer, Linda Melnick (Blayne), and Barry Brewer (Karen).

Irene was a devoted and beloved nana to 17 grandchildren, Casey, Dylan, Michelle, Michael, Matthew, Victoria, Nicolette, Haley, Larissa, Kellie, Candace, Ashley, Ricky, Dawson, Katie, Devon, and Charley. She was blessed with 9 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way. She was a treasured aunt, cousin, and friend who will be missed dearly by many. 

While our hearts mourn the loss, we take comfort in knowing she is at peace. Our family would like to extend our gratitude to the staff in the palliative care ward at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for their kindness and care.

Cremation has taken place. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 13^th at 10 am followed by a reception, all taking place in V.J. McGillivray Funeral Home, 16 Reserve Street, Glace Bay. Fr. Norman MacPhee presiding. Interment in Forest Haven Memorial Gardens.

In memory of Irene, donations can be made to the Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton or to the Canadian Cancer Society. On line condolences to the family can be expressed at: www.vjmcgillivray.ca

Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.