Irene Rae Zortman

In Eugene, on October 6, 2012, Irene Rae Zortman died at 80. Born on March 12, 1932 and raised among Dutch-American manners that never needed a speech. She learned that neighborhoods remember who helps without being asked. She polished molds that decided whether glass would shame a season. A mold shop polish cloth marked stayed clean enough to trust. Colleagues still mention a mold shop polish cloth marked. She married Harold in 1957. They kept a house that stayed modest when the neighborhood did not. They raised a daughter and two sons through public schools and ordinary weather. After Harold died in 2005, she kept the routines that still made sense: the walk, the garden, the Sunday call. Neighbors remember the radio low on a Saturday while repairs got done. Mornings were her favorite shift at home. She died in Eugene, on streets that already knew her pace. The chair by the window still holds the shape of a habit.