Irene Jeffries

WILMINGTON—Irene Kay Jeffries (nee Highbaugh), 63, of Wilmington, passed away unexpectedly, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020 at her home.
She was born Dec. 30, 1956 in Key West, FL. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Wilmington. Irene graduated with the class of 1975 from Joliet West High School. Soon after graduation she married the love of her life, Kenneth Jeffries on June 7, 1975 in Wilmington. She was an avid Chicago Cubs fan and had a passion for bargain shopping, finding “treasures” and antiquing. She also had a love for camping and always looked forward to taking the family trips to Hayward and the Gulf Shores. If you were lucky enough to know Irene, you knew she loved to talk and had the gift for gab. Her one of a kind personality will never be forgotten. The world lost a beautiful soul that had a heart of gold, and will always be remembered.
Surviving are her parents, Robert and Darlene (nee Koca) Highbaugh, of Joliet; husband of 45 years, Kenneth Jeffries, of Wilmington; three children: Marissa (Greg) Hall, of Wilmington; Stuart Jeffries, of Carmel, IN and KaraLynn (fiancé, Matt Morris) Jeffries, of Wilmington; six grandchildren: Cameron and Angelina Bergman, Benjamin and Lucy Hall, Annie Bergman and Addy Morris; four brothers: Randy (Sharon) Highbaugh, of Shorewood; Steve (Kim) Highbaugh, of Wilmington; Kenny (Lynette) Highbaugh, of Braidwood and Bobby (Heather) Highbaugh, of Crest Hill; honorary daughter, Heather Davis, of Coal City; sister-in-law, Sharon (John) Crichton, of Apache Junction, AZ; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends and her beloved four-legged companion, Walter.
Preceding her in death were her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lydia and Charles Jeffries and brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Chuck and Sue Jeffries.
Cremation rites have been accorded. Memorial visitation for Irene will be at the R.W. Patterson Funeral Home & Crematory, Braidwood, Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 4-8 p.m. All attendees are required to wear face coverings, follow social distancing guidelines, and due to current capacity requirements, please be brief with your condolences to allow other guests to pay their final respects.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Association would be appreciated.
For more information and to visit her online guestbook, log on to www.rwpattersonfuneralhomes.com or find them on Facebook.
R.W. Patterson Funeral Home & Crematory, 401 E. Main St., Braidwood is in charge of arrangements.