Florence Ireland

May 12, 1935 - January 8, 2021

Town of Moreau, South Glens Falls, New York Florence W. Ireland, 85, passed away on Friday, January 8th, 2021 at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, New York after a brief illness. Born on May 12th, 1935 in Glens Falls, New York she was the daughter of Richard Winslow and Kathleen Houghton (Phelps). She was a 1952 graduate of South Glens Falls High School and completed additional coursework in Business Accounting at Adirondack Community College. Florence retired in 2002 after working over 40 years as an Account Clerk and Secretary to the Board of Education for the South Glens Falls School District. Prior to that, she worked for Glens Falls National Bank and Trust and for Finch Pruyn Paper Company. Raising a family of seven children while holding down a full-time job, Florence – or “Flossie” as she was affectionately called by her large extended family members – always put her family first. She worked hard to instill important family and community values in her children to help them succeed in life while contributing to the community. She and her husband Loren successfully raised seven children who went on successful careers in public service or business. Active in her community throughout her life, Florence volunteered for many community organizations to improve the quality of life for her children and the larger community. She was an active board member for Moreau Community Center, volunteer for Literacy Volunteers of America, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, Town of Moreau Bicentennial Committee, Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the South High Sports Booster club. Florence had many diverse interests and hobbies. Raised in Wilton, New York just down the road from Grant’s Cottage, she grew up loving the outdoors, picking wild nuts and berries, baking pies, making home-made jams, jellies, root beer; gardening and canning her own vegetables and celebrating the simple joys of nature. As a mom, she read stories and sang to her children and made sure they had opportunities to participate in the arts. She was an active member of the Glens Falls Community Theatre and, in her later years, enjoyed reading historic fiction novels, crocheting sweaters and blankets for her many grandchildren, working on crossword and jigsaw puzzles and taking day-long adventures by car with no destination or map. Florence is predeceased by her husband, Loren Sage Ireland who died in July, 1979. She is survived by her son, Loren Michael Tracy-Ireland and his wife, Laura from Schenectady, New York; her son Bryan Douglas Ireland and his wife, Wendy and her daughter Edith (Edee) Doreen Poirier (Ireland) and her husband Greg, both from South Glens Falls, New York; her son Kevin William Ireland and his partner Lori Carpenter, of Glens Falls, New York; her daughter Merri Patricia Purdy (Ireland) and her husband Doug, of Town of Moreau, New York; her daughter Kelly Kathleen Ireland of Clifton Park, New York and her son Shawn Trevor Ireland of South Glens Falls, New York. She is also survived by thirteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. A graveside service will be held at Saint Mary’s Cemetery in South Glens Falls, NY on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 1 PM. Family and friends are encouraged to contribute to a memory book with remembrances of Florence’s life by visiting www.sbfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to your favorite charity may be made in Florence Ireland’s name.