On October 20th Irene stepped peacefully into the arms of Jesus with her husband and daughter-in-law Stephanie Newton by her side while Stephanie was reading from Psalms 50.

Irene was born on November 1, 1935 in Helena, Montana during one of the aftershocks of the big earthquake. She was born at home because the quake had caused the hospital to be closed to her parents, Lillian (Robinson) and Arnold Iverson. For the most part, Irene and her two sisters Fay (Iverson) Westad and Mary Ellen (Iverson) Nettik grew up in Helena. A few of their younger years were spent on a small farm in the Bitterroot Valley. She had great memories of the Bitterroot years and she developed a love for sheep and lambing season during that time. Those memories led her to adopt bum lambs later in life which she housed in her children's bedrooms until they (the lambs!) were sturdy enough to be outside. Life was always an adventure with Irene.

Irene graduated from Helena High School in June 1953. Sometime during her sophomore year, she was courted by a ranch kid from up Travis Creek named Jim (James B. Newton). He was smitten and even gifted her with one of the best horses on the ranch. He has always said he had to marry her to get his horse back which ALWAYS caused her to roll her eyes at him. Long story short...they were married on her 18th birthday, November 1st, 1953. This was important because her father would not sign for her to get married any sooner. This ended well though as Arnold and Jim became very good friends over the course of the marriage. Irene and Jim would have celebrated 72 years of marriage this November. She knew what she was doing.

After only six months of marriage, Jim was drafted to the service and ended up stationed in Italy. Irene was working for Elk River Concrete and pregnant with their first child Irene Valerie (Val) when he sailed away. She continued working and Val was born in September of that year. Val was 18 months old when Jim got to return and he found a very determined Irene had kept the home fires burning. The little family settled in Helena where their second daughter Cynthia (Cindy) was born.

In 1958 Irene and Jim paid cash and trade for a small trailer and the family moved to Great Falls for Jim's career as a Union Ironworker. Their daughter Kathleen (Kathy) joined the family during this time following two late-term miscarriages. The doctor that delivered Kathy suggested no more pregnancies for Irene but the Lord had plans and there would be many, many more children through fostering and adoption in the years to come. After 5 years in Great Falls, while Jim worked on the missiles and Irene honed her skills as a homemaker, the family began moving around the state following Jim's career. Jim and Irene with family in tow settled back in Helena around 1965.

In September 1966, shortly after their return to Helena, Valerie was hit by a truck on Montana Avenue sustaining very serious brain and physical injuries. Jim, Irene, and family pulled together during Val's months long coma and hospitalization. For years Irene meticulously directed all of the therapies that Val would need to learn to walk, talk, read, write and live as normal a life as possible. With support from her husband and parents she was a champion in all aspects of her daughter's recovery. It was a miracle that Valerie survived and a greater miracle that she thrived. Irene never failed to give God the credit for this. Her faith in her Savior Jesus really started to mature and grow stronger during this hard time.

As Val's recovery progressed and stabilized the family moved to a bigger home in the Helena valley and Irene felt it was time for another baby in the house. The next chapter would be filled with foster children, from infants to teenagers, and Jim and Irene would be loving parental figures to a steady stream of kids. Irene assured that every single one would hear about the love of Jesus before they moved on and many of the teens continued long relationships with Jim and Irene into adulthood. It was during this time that their daughter Joann (later Kornkven) came to join the family and they adopted their son, Micheal (Mike) in 1970, two weeks after his birth.

Life in their valley neighborhood revealed to Irene that her neighbors were lonely. She got involved with Stonecroft Ministries during this time and began inviting the neighbors in for a women's bible coffee around her dining room table. She also invited their children in for Child Evangelism Fellowship Good News Club sessions in the backyard. She had a true neighborhood ministry and developed lasting friendships with those neighbors. Her time with Stonecroft would eventually land her as the district director in Montana. Her duties included regularly sharing her testimony at Christian Women's Club/After 5 luncheons and dinners in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Her story of faith was deep and many women came to know the Lord upon hearing her story.

In 1977 with only Kathy and Mike still in the home they moved from the Helena valley to Colorado Gulch…Irene loved the gulch and her neighbors…and this move started the "open door" era when they always had extra people in their home. Before the move, Irene dedicated every room in that house to the Lord and from that moment forward the home saw a constant flow of various family members, missionaries, Covenant Players, families in need, friends and strangers who came and stayed. Some came for short stays of a week or weekend and others for longer stays of many months and even years. Every stay shared the common richness of Irene gently sharing her testimony. Along with the open-door policy the gulch house also saw the beginnings of many family traditions that were passed down to her grand and great grandchildren: the six-mile hike behind the house, gingerbread men, the Red Birthday Plate, sticky buns, canning, monster cookies, lefse, and more. Irene was proud of her Norwegian heritage!

In December of 1979 their youngest daughter Kathleen was tragically lost in a car accident. This loss was heart crushing and she led her family through a very difficult grieving process. Her spiritual pins were never knocked out from under her and the Lord had added another chapter to her testimony. In life and through her ministry with Stonecroft she often found herself in the presence of others who had also experienced the loss of a child. From the pages of her personal story, she was able to share God's tender love with them.

In addition to her informal ministry and being a homemaker, Irene began to work outside the home again in 1982 at the new Broadwater Athletic Club. She was their first programs director and for the next seven years left a legacy of innovative and successful class programming. She left the Broadwater to work as the secretary at the First Lutheran Church, retiring in June 1999. She loved that job and every single person that came through the church doors was important to her. During this time she also faithfully met with a group of women for early-morning Thursday Bible study for more than 20 years.

After retirement she worked part-time at Cornerstone Christian Bookstore. She kept up with new books and music and stayed connected to many friends. Retirement also meant more time for skiing and golf. She skied for decades, raised generations of ski buddies, taught lessons as a PSIA certified instructor, and kept skiing into her 80s on cross-country skis behind the gulch house. Her quiet testimony continued on chairlifts with those who wanted to hear.

She also became an avid golfer, enjoying Fairmont, Old Works, and courses around Montana with Jim, family, and friends. She biked hundreds of miles and even rode 12 miles to work many days during her years at the church. She loved being outside and excelled in many sports—but would never admit she was the best fisherwoman even though she often was.

Throughout her life Irene was active in church fellowship. She grew up in the Evangelical Covenant Church and in 1976 began attending Helena Valley Baptist, where she played the organ and piano and directed Christmas programs for over 30 years.

In recent years Jim and Irene moved to Helena Pointe, where she easily made friends and quietly shared her faith. Neighbors often told the family that Irene had already shared her testimony with them.

Jim and Irene celebrated 75 years together and would have celebrated 72 years of marriage on her 90th birthday. She is survived by her husband Jim Newton, her sister Mary Ellen Nettik, her children Cindy Sparing, Valerie Newton, Mike Newton (Stephanie), and son-in-law Karl Kornkven, 8 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Faye, daughters Kathy and Joann, and son-in-law Jim Sparing.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 2 PM at the Helena Valley Baptist Church, 1315 Sierra Road East, Helena, Montana.