Mrs. Irene Robinson Walker, aged 97 of the Clifton community passed away peacefully on Monday, March 16, 2026, at Generations Ashe Assisted Living Center.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 12:00 noon with the Reverends Michael and Karen Kurtz officiating. The family will receive friends from 11:00 am until 12:00 noon at Ashelawn Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow in Ashelawn Memorial Gardens.

Irene was born on September 14, 1928, in Kimball, West Virginia, to the late Lester Claude and Chessie Elliott Hartsoe. Growing up during the Great Depression, she learned the value of hard work and the escapism afforded by a good book. Though circumstances did not allow her to pursue higher education after completing Riverview High School, her curious mind and love of books of every kind provided her an understanding of people and the world that far exceeded that of most.

It was at Riverview High that she met the love of her life in Doyle Robinson. Married on October 18, 1947, they worked side-by-side for many years, first on their farms and then in the grocery store they purchased together in Clifton. Some of her favorite memories revolved around those times, particularly listening to UNC basketball while grading tobacco, playing Rook late into the night with friends after a full day of picking beans, attending fifth Sunday luncheons at Mill Creek UMC, or watching the Democratic Convention on the first television set she and Doyle owned.

Following Doyle’s death, she began her own career, working at Ashe Memorial Hospital and then with the Department of Social Services. It was at the hospital that she met Howard Walker and struck up a friendship that would end in marriage some 10 years later. In moving to Hayesville, NC, with Howard she found a new calling as a daycare teacher. She loved her students and many remained in contact with “Miss Irene” for years after they left her care. She was especially proud to finally be able to go back to college and earn an associate’s degree from Tri-County Community College in early childhood education in her late 50s.

Following Howard’s death in 1998, Irene moved back to Ashe County where she enjoyed reuniting with old friends, watching the Tar Heels play basketball, reading, faithfully attending Clifton United Methodist Church, and tending her many flowers, particularly her African Violets that often became gifts for family and friends. Nearly every visit and phone call with family ended with a heartfelt “I love you”, a testament to her fierce pride and love for her children and grandchildren.

In addition to her parents and her husbands, Irene was preceded in death by her siblings Miles Hartsoe, Claude Hartsoe, and Helen Graybeal, along with many of her friends.

Those left to cherish her memory are. Her daughters , Nancy Reeves (John) and Susan Hoosier (Jimmy); her son, Chris Robinson (Yolanda); her grandchildren Scott Hoosier, Kim Hoosier (Mark Melton), Cati Robinson (Jonathan Waddell), Michelle Raymond (Jackson), Ben Reeves, Kevin Reeves (Martha Jane), Lillian Reeves (Carter Davis); and eight great-grandchildren. May they always remember to tell each other “I love you” at the end of phone calls and as they leave the house, just as they were taught by their mother and grandmother.

The family extends a special thank you to the staff of Generations Ashe for their love and respect for Irene over the past several years and especially for their kindness and caring for both Irene and her family in her final days.

The family respectfully requests no flowers please. Memorial contributions may be made to Clifton United Methodist Church, in care of Eloise Price, 11026 NC Hwy. 88 West, Warrensville, NC 28693.