Obituary of Irene Lea Almeida

Irene Lea Almeida, 81, of Colorado Springs passed away May 26, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.Irene Lea (Martel) was born on November 5, 1938 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to her mother, Emma Josephine (Gosselin) Martel and her father, Alphonse Joseph Eli Martel. She had six siblings; Robert, Eugene, Jeannette, Roger, Norman and Cecile. All preceding Irene in death. She attended Saint Jean Baptiste Catholic School. After dropping out of school, she worked for a neighbor family doing cleaning, cooking, and looking after their young children, and worked in the Martel family owned bar and caf�. After the death of her mother on her birthday in 1970, her father remarried Lillian May Wilbur in 1972. Irene married Jack (Joaquim) Almeida on November 11, 1955 at the age 17 in her hometown. They had three children during their marriage; Bruce, Jeffrey and Gary. They lived and raised their family in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She was a homemaker for the family and from time to time she would work part-time to help carry the family through the harder times. Irene was, what is called these days, a "Team Mom" for the youth sports her sons participated in. When a young girl in 1973 was refusing to join the Little League Baseball League her sons played on, her and a group of other parents felt that there should be a little league baseball for young girls. So, her and a small group of others started The Pawtucket Slaterettes Girls "BASEBALL" League. Irene was an officer and coach in the league from its start and led the 1976 Crusaders, Girls Junior Division Champions. While she loved the boys in her life, she always wanted girls and she would call her team "Her Girls". Irene was a member of the league until 1980, then she and the family moved to Colorado in 1981. Irene loved telling stories of her time as a member of the Slaterettes. In 1978, Irene and Jack took the family in a camper on an eight-week cross country trip, visiting family in many states across the country. While on the stop visiting her brother Gene and his family, they both fell in love with Colorado. Because of some health problems Jack had in 1980, he was told he needed to retire and move to a dryer climate than Rhode Island could offer. Their oldest son married and joined the United States Air Force, and the rest of the family moved to Colorado Springs in 1981. The oldest son and family would join the rest of the family in Colorado Springs in 1986. Irene loved family and sharing old family recipes and some of her own. Some family members referred to her as being like "Marie" the mother in the show "Everybody Loves Raymond", you could not visit Irene without being offered something to eat or drink and it was a fail on her part if you did not have something before leaving. But her recipes did not die with her, she made sure that someone or two in the family knew how to make her M�m�'s French meat pie, her mothers-in-law's Portuguese Soup, her linguica and peppers, her famous Manhattan Clam Chowder and Clamcakes, or just her good old when your sick chicken soup, and so many more. The drier Colorado climate still gave her husband health problems during the colder wet months of Colorado winter, so they sold their home and bought one of the few RV's they would live in for many years. Becoming Colorado "Snowbirds" they would live the warmer drier summer months in Colorado and head south during the wet cold months. But one thing Irene insisted on, is that they had to be back in Colorado Springs by Mother's Day to be with her family of children, grandchildren, and anyone else she called family. So every year they would leave at the end of September and return before Mother's Day in May.In March 1998, according to Irene the worst thing that could ever happen to a parent, happened. Her middle son, Jeffrey age 36, was killed in an auto/pedestrian accident, him being the pedestrian. At the time, because Mother's Day in May had not arrived, they were still in Bullhead City, Arizona. This broke Irene's spirit and her will to travel and be away from her family. So, over the next few years they would return to Colorado Springs, sell the RV and buy a small home and remain here year-round.Up until this point, she had gone by the unofficial names of Mom and Grandma. But Irene would see her family grow still further this time with ten great-grandchildren born from 2002-2015, all but a few born here in Colorado Springs where she became now known as GG. Irene next big loss would be the death of her husband Jack. Irene and Jack enjoyed fifty-five years of marriage until Jack's passing in 2010. Irene swore never to remarry but would have a dog to keep her company the rest of her life. In fact, just after the loss of the dog that her and Jack had together, the dog she would have alone she named JJ. When asked "Why JJ?" She would choke up with tears in her eyes and answer "For the names of the big losses in my life, one J for the son Jeffrey and one J for her husband Jack. JJ" Over the last two years she suffered with dementia and of course with this Alzheimer's disease, this got worse and worse over time to the point of over the last six months not even recognizing the names of her family and friends. This was one of the saddest points of all her life. Irene could tell you the name and dates of not only her children and close family's birthdays, anniversaries and death dates but also her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, Nieces and Nephews, and their children. Maybe not to the day in some cases but to the month and year.Irene is survived by her two sons, SSgt Bruce, U.S. Air Force, (Ret.) and his wife, Debbie Almeida, Gary Almeida; five grandchildren, Michelle (Almeida) Gonzalez, Keri (Almeida) Ross, Sgt. Shawn Almeida, U.S. Army, Darryl Almeida and Cheryl (Almeida) Wescott; and ten great-grandchildren; and her dog, JJ.The family kindly asks in lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions in Irene's memory to her favorite charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memorial of Life Service and Interment will be held at a later date due to the Covid-19 precautions.To plant a tree in Irene's memory, please visit the Tribute Store located on The Springs Funeral Services website.