Irene S. Cumming-Foster

Olson-Tichenor Funeral Home
307 Main Street East
Mapleton, MN 56065
(507)-524-3616

Irene Sylvia Cumming-Foster, 97, of Mapleton, died Thursday, May, 4, 2017, at Cottagewood in Mankato.

Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, May 8, 2017 at the United Church of Mapleton. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be at Chase Cemetery in Mapleton. 

Irene was born in a country home, south of Lake Crystal, MN, on May 29, 1919, to Chris and Bertha (Vekre) Johnson. She was named after her Grandma Inger and Grandpa Severt, the first ‘I’ and the ‘S’ were used for Irene Sylvia. She was baptized at the Butternut Church. She attended West Lawn Country School near Good Thunder, and Fountain Brook Country School north of Delevan, near Lura Lake, with her siblings Gerald and Berneda. They moved to a farm south of Mapleton on highway 30. Her father died in 1934 at the age of 46. Irene, age 14, and her brother Gerald, age 16, were no longer able to attend school. They stayed home to help their mother farm and take care of their younger brother Dale. Irene was only able to complete the 8th grade, and always dreamed of being a teacher. She remembered watching Stuart go to school while she herded cows along the railroad tracks.

On January 29, 1941, she married Stuart Leon Cumming of Mapleton. They farmed south of Mapleton until Stuart's death on May 25, 1981. They had three children, Loren, Larry, and Geneil.
On April 25, 1992, Irene married George ‘Bud’ Foster. They were married for 13 years, until Bud’s passing on May 4, 2005. From there Irene moved to her home in Mapleton where she resided until March 22, 2017. She moved to Cottagewood Assisted Living and Memory Care, where she lived out the remainder of her days.

Irene was a member of the United Church of Mapleton, Blue Earth County Extension, Heather Curling Club, and Mapleton Better Garden Club. She received the Service To Mankind Award in 2001.
Irene was able to teach through community ed, where she taught hardanger and tatting. She taught many gardening lessons through Garden Club. The best lessons she taught were to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, gardening, knitting, crocheting, cooking, and hardanger. She was always a caregiver, taking care of Stuart’s dialysis in their home, and caring for her mother in her home until her passing in 1990 at the age of 97.

She is survived by her son-in law, Doug Kopischke of Mapleton; her daughter-in law, Ruth Cumming of Mapleton; grandchildren, Liza Jo (Cumming) Woitas (Craig) of Huntley, Sheila (Cumming) Malwitz (Chad) of Wells, Randy Cumming (Linda) of Lake Crystal, Todd Cumming (Bonnie) of Hamel, Laura (Cumming) Ochsendorf(Christian) of Willmar, Allison (Cumming) Hillenbrand (Todd) of Danube, Kristin Kopischke (Tom Crull) of Minnetonka, and Jodi (Kopischke) Hicks (Mark) of Mapleton; 16 great grandchildren; 8 great-great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by both of her husbands, Stuart and Bud; her brothers, Gerald and Dale; her sister, Berneda; her 3 children, Loren (2007), Larry (2009), and Geneil (2010); and 13 brothers and sisters in law. 

She was loved by all and will be truly missed.