Irene Link Denning was born on March 21, 1903 in West Point, Iowa. She is Walt’s first cousin twice removed.

Irene Deloris Link was born on March 21, 1903 to Eustace and Mary Strothman Link. She was the 6th child born to the couple. They had a total of 11 children but 2 died in infancy. The 1910 census show her living with her parents and 8 siblings in West Point where her father ran a grocery store. The 1920 census has her working at the store as does the 1930 census. I wrote about Eustace in this post.

A snip of the 1920 census. The family is living on Monroe Street.

In 1940, Irene is still living with her parents. She is the proprietor of a coal yard. According to her obituary, she was the last coal salesperson in the area. Her brother Carl is running a funeral home in the building where his father’s store once was.

On December 30, 1942, Irene Link married Alfred Denning in Detroit, Michigan. Alfred went by Pat. I wrote about their marriage and later life in this post. Except for a short time near their marriage, Irene and Pat lived in southeastern Iowa, first in Fort Madison and later in Keokuk.

The 1950 census finds them in West Point, living with Mary Link. Pat is working for Anthes Force Oiler and Irene is managing a gas station (fuel dealer).

Irene Link Denning died on May 28, 1993 in Keokuk Iowa. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in West Point.