BLAIRSTOWN:  Irene E. Christopher, age 97, died Thursday, July 13, 2006 at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids following a brief illness.
     Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at Grace Lutheran Church in Blairstown with Rev. David Rempfer officiating.  Interment will be held at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Blairstown.  Friends may call at Phillips Funeral Home in Blairstown from 4 to 8 PM on Monday.  In lieu of flowers a Memorial Fund has been established for Grace Lutheran Church, M. J. Kirby American Legion Post #170 of Blairstown, and St. Luke's Hospice in Cedar Rapids.
     Irene was born July 28, 1908 at Mills in Potter County, Pennsylvania to Franklin Milo and Rebecca Jane (Dye) Boucher.  Her family moved to Iowa and she graduated from the Marengo High School in 1928.  Irene was a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.  On November 21, 1940 she married Walter Christopher at Marengo.  He preceded her in death on September 16, 1964.
     Irene was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and the American Legion Auxiliary in Blairstown.  She enjoyed Senior Citizen activities in her community and spent many hours on her quilting projects.
     She is survived by her daughters, Rubye Kay Sprung of Grinnell and Dorothy Jean Campbell of Cedar Rapids; seven grandchildren; and eighteen grandchildren.
     In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her
granddaughter, Janet Lyn Campbell