Irene Himmelberger {Omi}

A World War II air raid over the work farm in Germany where her pregnant mother and two young sisters were evacuated to, set the scene for a dramatic entrance into the world by our mother. Everyone thought she wouldn’t survive. She did arrive during one of the most volatile, frightening times in modern European history, and truly under the worst of circumstances, but as she would for the rest of her 81 years, Irene persevered and showed them all what she was made of.

Irene grew up in Germany with her parents and two older sisters. She earned a degree from the university in Business and Finance. During “Fashing” (town dances which are part of Germany's winter carnival season) Irene met a boy who looked like Elvis, an American GI in the US Air Force named Philip who was stationed in her town. They eventually got married and she moved thousands of miles away from her home to the States where they lived with Philip’s family in southeastern Utah. Monticello in the 1960’s was a tough place for a young German woman, but she endured and ultimately overcame the discrimination of her heritage, again showing what she was made of. Irene embodied grit, tenacity and fortitude.

After they moved to Salt Lake City, Irene started an entry-level position at Beehive Credit Union. She worked her a$$ off in a male dominated world and continued to rise skillfully through the ranks retiring as President of the Credit Union. During her thirty-three years of dedicated service to Beehive, in addition to helping countless people enhance their lives by lending support for their goals and dreams, Irene helped many to start small businesses across the state by taking a chance on them with funding.

Complementary to her remarkable business career Irene was continually working to make her community and the world a better place. She served as a board member for the Utah Hope Project, Soroptimist International, and served on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Utah League of Credit Unions.

As part of the Governmental Affairs committee for the credit union league Irene was actively involved in lobbying the Utah State Legislature and navigating the fallout of the NCUA v. First National Bank & Trust Co. U.S. Supreme Court ruling. This eventually led to a special legislative session in Utah to rewrite state credit union field-of-membership laws giving everyone access to work with credit unions and not only have banks as their financial option.

Irene’s prominent executive standing at Beehive Credit Union and her active advocacy work in trade politics led to her being named one of "Utah’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business," originally published in 1999 by Utah Business magazine. The list brought together top-ranking women corporate executives, founders, and community leaders who shaped the state's economic landscape leading into the millennium.

Traveling at home and abroad with other inspiring women committed to making a positive difference for women everywhere, Soroptimist International, a volunteer service organization for professional women, was dear to Irene’s heart. During her tenure as President of her region, Irene’s emphasis was to support direct financial grants to women who were the primary financial support for their families, giving them the capital needed to gain meaningful vocational skills, re-enter the workforce and achieve economic independence.

With all of that, Irene still made time in her life for a bowling league, water skiing at Bear Lake into her 60s and never missing a chance to learn the latest TikTok dance with her granddaughters. Omi had an adventurous spirit and was always up for anything. Along with her sister and brother in law, Janet and Keith, she and Philip explored most of the US coastlines as well as the beaches of Hawaii and Mexico.

Across the world she and her kids ventured through countries near her family in Germany, while her time with Soroptimist allowed her to discover parts of Japan and Australia.

At the center of Irene’s life was her family and loved ones. She was a gifted cook and baker, no one left her house hungry or without dessert. You could likely find Omi in her beautiful yard with her not one but two green thumbs, enjoying the antics of her quail and squirrels.

Irene was an original Do It Yourself-er. “You can do anything you set your mind to,” was her own life motto. An endlessly talented seamstress, she also conquered plumbing, tile laying, upholstering, and fireplace refinishing. It didn’t matter what it was, you can learn it and you can do it.

Our extraordinary Mom, Omi, Mother-In-Law, Aunt, and Friend will be eternally loved and forever missed.

There were many loved ones waiting to welcome Irene home, including her desperately missed daughter Misha, daughter Cindy, sister-in-law Janet, best friend Leslie, sister Renate, friend ATS Lori, her grandpups Abby, Penelope and Max, and her husband of 61 years. What a party that must have been.

Those of us left here, profoundly lost and grieving without her, include: her sons Gordon (Teresa) and Matthew (Jayne), her daughter Teri (Allen), granddaughters Tessa & Quinn, Brother In Law Keith, her nieces and nephews, her Germany Family, her bonus kid Brett who took tremendously good care of her, and her bonus kid Jill who offered to sneak vodka to her at the end, our mom loved a Screwdriver.

Irene was a force of nature, a force to be reckoned with, and a force for good, please join us to celebrate her grit, tenacity and fortitude on Thursday, June 4 from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm at Twenty & Creek, 2050 South Creek Road in Sandy, Utah.