Irene Churchill (WICC President 2014-2016)

We were saddened to learn of the death of Irene Churchill (WICC President 2014-2016).

Rev. Shirley DeMerchant (WICC President 2016-2018) shares her memories of Irene.

“The passing of Irene Churchill (April 18, 1949 – April 15, 2024) brings much sadness to me but also wonderful memories that go back many years. Irene served for several years on the WICC Board as the denominational representative for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and as the representative to the International Fellowship of the Least Coin. She joined the executive as Finance Chairperson and then later as President. Words that come to mind when I think of my friend are calm, compassionate and competent. She was very faithful, well organized and served WICC well. Her patience, smile and friendliness made it easy to work with her and helped new board members feel welcomed. She was thoughtful in her deliberations and in the many discussions we had about finances and other WICC matters. She was a member of the Search Committee when we hired our present Executive Director. Irene was part of the initial process of making significant structural changes to the organization that set us up well to deal with the unexpected disruption caused by COVID. She wasn’t all business though. We had lots of laughs, celebrations, and fun at our social times at Board meetings (pre-COVID!). I succeeded Irene as president of WICC. My role was so much easier because of her mentoring, her encouragement, and the strengths she had in areas where I was weak. At WICC, we don’t just talk about prayer, we pray – for issues and for individuals. I talked to Irene last week on the phone. She had called me from her hospital bed. I prayed for her. Then she prayed for me. Fitting for a woman committed to prayer and action.”

Written on April 19, 2024