MADISON - Irene Mary Winkler, age 86, of Madison, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 2, 2023. She was born on July 1, 1936, in Madison, Wis., the daughter of Adolph Gruendler and Caroline Gruendler.

Irene graduated from Edgewood High School at 16 years old and went on to live at and graduate from St. Mary’s Nursing School in 1956. Irene had lost her own beloved mother to cancer when she was 15, and it was a dreadfully painful event for her. This experience reinforced her love of nursing and caring for others.

Irene married Donald Winkler on June 1, 1957, and they had five children. Having been an only child, she enjoyed her kids and all the things they did together - skiing, swimming and diving teams, horseback riding together, learning to waterski, girl scouts, card games, caring for them at home when they were sick, and allowing channel 21 only, etc. She taught her children how to knit and sew, and Irene learned how to play the guitar just so she could teach her 8-year-old son how to play. She ended up teaching other kids how to play from her home, as well as playing in both folk guitar groups at Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Bernard churches. Irene was very active; she even went white water rafting with her oldest son!

Irene was a devoted Catholic who enjoyed Bible study. She helped found the Pregnancy Helpline and wrote multiple letters to the newspaper on behalf of ProLife. Her lifelong dream of doing missionary work was realized by her making three different trips to the Philippines. Her passion for helping others led her to spend most of her life providing a wide variety of assistance to others; she offered help to anyone that would take it. Irene also loved her Siamese cats and the kittens she raised. She enjoyed her family, reading, horseback riding, square dancing, clogging (she danced with the Cripple Creek Cloggers for many years), snow and water skiing, walking, and visiting friends, just to name a few things.

Prior to retirement, Irene worked as a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison for 50 years, working in the SICU. She worked until arthritis struck and she had to have joints replaced, including knees, hips and a lumbar disc. It broke her heart not to be able work as a nurse any longer, as she always felt nursing wasn’t so much about what she did, but who she was. Plain and simple - she was a person who loved helping people - as a nurse, a mother, a grandparent and a friend. She was always there when you needed her.

Irene is survived by her daughters, JoAnne (Dale) Winkler-Bley and Kathryn (Bob) O'Brien; her sons, Jeffrey (Brenda) Winkler, Robert (Pam) Winkler and Greg (Korrine) Winkler; grandchildren, Emma, Ben, Nicole, Zachery, Sarah (Caleb) and Lyndsey; and great-granddaughter, Cora. She was preceded in death by her parents; and half-sister.

A funeral service will be held at Gunderson East Funeral AND Cremation Care, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 12 noon on Monday, June 12, 2023, with Monsignor Duane Moellenberndt presiding. A visitation will be held at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Monday.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to PBS Wisconsin or the Dane County Humane Society. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420

Irene Winkler

July 01, 1936 - June 02, 2023

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