Irene Woods, 82, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, after years of living with serious illness. She was surrounded by family with her daughter and granddaughters holding her hand.

Irene was born March 7, 1944, or if you knew her, “the third month, 7th day, 19 and 44” in Laurel County on River Hill in East Bernstadt, Kentucky to Clifford O. Robinson and Minnie Owens Robinson.

She grew up on a 150-acre farm, the eldest daughter in a family of six children. Responsibility came early and hard work was simply a part of life. Irene rose early to milk cows before school and learned young to do whatever needed doing. She could milk a cow, strip tobacco, work a field, or rock a baby.

On May 14, 1960, at the age of 16, Irene married Raymond Woods and soon became the mother of a premature baby in the hills of southeastern Kentucky. She had already spent much of her young life helping care for others and carrying responsibilities well beyond her years.

Irene and Raymond were married for 54 years. Over the decades, she worked alongside him in the homebuilding business, and together they had a hand in building more than 3,000 homes. When Raymond later became seriously ill, Irene cared for him devotedly through the end of his life.

The circumstances of Irene’s early life may have limited the choices available to her, but they never limited her ability or her determination. She worked to complete her GED later in her life, while also helping to create opportunities for the people she loved that were not always available to her.

Family was at the center of Irene’s life. She was fiercely loyal to her people, and she generally showed her love and set an example for her family by doing. Over the years, her home became a safe place to land for many family members who needed one, and at one time or another, many found a temporary home with Irene. There was a bed, there was food, and somehow, there was always room.

Feeding people was another way Irene cared for them. She made sure people ate, and her family is convinced that no one will ever make cornbread quite like hers.

Irene loved music, especially country, bluegrass, and gospel music that carried the sounds of stories of home or another time in her life. She had a special love for the music of Loretta Lynn, likely because the circumstances of her life were familiar, and Irene was occasionally mistaken for her. She carried eastern Kentucky with her throughout her life – in her speech, her humor, her stubbornness, and those expressions never lost the sound of home. Unfortunately, areas outside of her home didn’t always appreciate the absolute wealth of that language and culture, and you might at times hear Irene say, “my grammar is off.” Her family, however, recognizes the treasure of the language from her time and place as something that ought to be preserved. She could hit you with a “Lord have mercy, “ and some of her best expressions are probably not appropriate for publication in an obituary. Her family fully intends to keep saying them anyway.

She was preceded in death by her husband Raymond Woods; her parents Clifford and Minnie Robinson; and her brothers Vernal “Jay” Robinson and his wife, Rose; Kenneth Robinson; and Lloyd Robinson.

She is survived by her sisters, Patricia (Mark) Rohe of Richmond, IN and Sandy Cecere of Moulton, AL. Her children Donald Woods, Ronald Dale Woods (Tracy); and Nova Woods Derenski (Casey) of Fountain City and Richmond IN; her grandchildren Amber Welin and Amanda (Kyle) Trittipo; Ashlee Woods, Heather Woods, and Samantha Woods; Kylie King, Kara Wagers (Cody), and Kian Derenski. Her great-grandchildren Joanna Welin, Jackson Welin, and Wylder Woods. She is also survived by her special sisters-in-law Sandy Robinson of Renton, Washington and Melba Robinson of Daytona, Florida and a host of nieces and nephews. Her terrier, Buck, aka “little Buckaroo” and Kian’s cat, Wyatt, spent the last of her nights at home curled at the foot of her bed keeping watch over her. While all her family helped care for her at one time or another, Nova, Kylie and Kara probably drove her most crazy, Casey and Cody were her muscle and tech support, and Kian was “her friend” because Irene said, “he doesn’t ask me any questions.” Irene was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Stegall-Berheide-Orr Funeral Home in Richmond, IN is handling arrangements. Visitation will be held Monday, August 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home, with funeral services beginning at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Lutherania Cemetery in Richmond, IN. In the final weeks of her life, Irene was able to remain at home surrounded by her people and things familiar to her with the support of her Reid hospice team. Her family is deeply grateful to the nurses, aides, and other members of her team, as well as the team of Stegall-Berheide-Orr who cared for Irene and her family with dignity and kindness during an extraordinarily difficult time. Their work matters, and we are grateful.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Irene are invited to donate to a local food bank or homeless shelter in her memory. Feeding people and making sure they were cared for was one of the ways Irene showed love throughout her life. Helping others in their time of need seems a fitting way to carry that love forward.

Writing an obituary for Irene is difficult because there is far more that could be said about her than what can be contained here. There are 82 years of stories, and everyone who knew her seems to have one. But the themes of her life are remarkably clear: Family. Faith. Hard Work. Loyalty. Home. Irene believed in taking care of her people, and that is what she did. She worked for them, fed them, sheltered them, and stood beside them when things were hard. She made sure they had somewhere to land. Her life was a testament to what she believed and what she held most dear. She was strong-willed, particular, funny, stubborn, generous, and fiercely loyal. She was unmistakably Irene.

And through everything life handed to her, she proved herself tougher than whitleather, even though she herself wasn’t bigger than a handful of minutes.