Irene Allen Maynard

Irene Allen Bradford Maynard was a joy to know.  Her 96 years of life was filled with a love of music, art, and beauty. She brought this love to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.       Born to immigrant Irish parents in 1921 in Toronto Canada, she was raised in a culture of hard work and responsibility. For her, playing classical piano music was her refuge. She was a magnificent pianist and was particularly passionate about the music of Chopin. As children, we were serenaded each night as we went to sleep with a concert by our mother.  It would waft up the stairs from the living room to grant us peace and images of serenity.             Mother and Dad, Reg Maynard, who died in 2014 at 97, loved music.  They met on a dance floor on a summer's evening in 1939, where they had traveled for the weekend with respective family and friends. Dad was taken by her immediately. At 5'9'', her height and beauty were impossible to ignore as she was literally head and shoulders above the other girls. He won her over with his graceful dancing and beautiful singing voice. Together, they shared a love of music, dancing, and nature. They would often spend time canoeing on the Canadian lakes.         Irene worked as a school secretary for the San Diego School District.  Always organized, punctual, efficient, and good at handling customers in a gracious way, she helped the principal and staff bring order out of chaos.               In her later years, she became an art docent at the San Diego Art Museum. She loved to learn almost as much as she loved sharing her knowledge with the tour groups she led. She also traveled a great deal during the years after retirement.  She loved all things French, especially Paris.  Her étagère had articles from all of her travels and those who visited her home would be regaled with stories of the article, the country it came from, and its meaning.                   Although wet macular degeneration took her eye sight and limited her ability to do some of the things she loved, it could not dull her spirit and fiery passion for life. In these last months of her life, spent at The Homestead in Rexburg, she kept the staff in stitches with stories of her life, singing Oh Canada at the top of her lungs, and being loud about her love of pie, music, her husband, and her wonderful family.                        She will be missed by her son Mark, daughters, Diane and Patrice, their spouses Wes and Nick, as well as by her eight grandchildren, their spouses, and her 15 great grandchildren.                       She will always be a blessing to those who love her.  She will be missed.