June 7, 1954 -- August 22, 2025
Irene Joanne (Barton) Matson was born on June 7, 1954, to Cyril James Barton and Bronislawa (Olchawa) Barton in St. Paul, MN. She married John Peter Matson of Frazee, MN in Detroit Lakes, MN on November 20, 1971. Together they welcomed a daughter, Christina, in 1972 and a son, John, in 1974. She obtained her General Equivalency Diploma in 1981 and attended the Culinary Arts program at the Detroit Lakes Vo-Tech. She worked in a number of positions and organizations over the course of her life, always taking special delight in those where she was able to spend time with people. She had a love of and a gift for handicrafts with particular talents in the yarncrafts of crochet and knit.
Irene is survived by her daughter, Christina; her son, John; her grandchildren, Gene (Abi), Ben (Diamond), Cassidy, and Zachary; her great-grandchildren, John, Wesley, and Jeremy; her siblings Ann (Jim) and Mike; her step-siblings Rita (Ken), Marshall (Rita), and Jane (Hoot); her step-mother Vivian; her bother-in-law Dale (Grace), her sisters-in-law Kristi (Kelly), Fern, Lily (Jeff), Bonnie (Tom), and Mary; countless cousins, nieces, nephews, their spouses, their children, and grand-children.
She is preceded in death by her father Cyril; her mother Bronislawa; her father-in-law Pete; her mother-in-law Helen; her husband John; her brothers Bart and Jim; her brothers-in-law Warren and Brad; her sisters-in-law Laura and Julie; and her nephew Billy.
Following a short illness, Irene passed peacefully from this life at 8:03 p.m. on August 22, 2025, with her children at her bedside.
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