Irene Mable Hutchinson

Irene Mable Hutchinson passed away on December 28, 2021, after a battle with Covid.

Friends may call Friday (July 15th) from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Kenneth J. Perkins Funeral Home in Gorham.

Burial will be in Gorham Cemetery at the family’s convenience.

For many family and friends, she was affectionately known as Rene or “Ma.” Irene was born August 13, 1936, in Penn Yan, NY, to Isaac & Marie (Bergstresser) Hayes.

Irene attended a one-room schoolhouse on Route 364 and also on Petersburg Rd in Penn Yan, and then went on to Gorham school in Gorham, NY. She then left school in approximately the eighth grade to help on the farm when her mother died. She worked at Grant’s in Penn Yan, Patent Cereals Company in Geneva, and Westinghouse in Bath, NY. She eventually would go on to become a school bus driver for Penn Yan schools, Marcus Whitman Central School District and BOCES. She also would help her father, Isaac Hayes, working at Hayes Auction Barn in Penn Yan and many other auctions around the area. Other endeavors included working on the Gorham muck helping harvest potatoes, beets, onions and carrots, and delivering buses many times with her Uncle Art Hayes for Coach & Equipment out of Penn Yan.

Irene loved socializing with people, and also enjoyed her time with Amway friends, selling Beeline Fashions, Sarah Coventry jewelry, Telamar Crystal, Park Lane jewelry, Poltermann clothing, and even helping people save on their electricity. Among many whom she would call friends were the Mennonite community who she got to know as a driver for them back in the ‘90s, taking them between NY and PA, and also taking them to many yard sales.

In the early ‘70s Irene suffered a back injury and, although she was pretty much in constant pain from that point forward, she still did her best to enjoy life to the fullest. Her love for horses pushed her to keep moving. Although she attended some horse shows in her earlier years, trail riding was her favorite, and she enjoyed riding at Otter Creek, Brookfield, Little Valley, Allegany State Park, Limestone, Rattlesnake Hill, Mitchell Lake, South Hill, High Tor, Hector and, her most favorite, Sugar Hill State Forest in Watkins Glen, NY. She also rode in many parades over the years with family and friends and was excited to also be able to ride with her son Rod while visiting him in Alaska. In her earlier years she also helped out at Leo Gee’s Rodeo in PA and helped round up the horses and cows for the rodeo, and even rode her horse Thunder out of the bucking chutes one year. Ropin’ Rene, as she called herself, was riding right up to the ripe old age of 83.

Irene enjoyed working with kids and was always eager to teach the younger generations about horses. Not only was she active with her two boys with their horse 4-H club in Ontario County when they were young, she also became a 4-H co-leader with her daughter’s horse group in Yates County later on.

Another enjoyment of Irene’s was hunting and 4-wheeling. She loved to deer hunt when her back would allow, and in her later years her 4-wheeler gave her the mobility to continue to do that. In fact, her last day she hunted was December 12th, 2021, just 4 days before she ended up in the hospital, at the age of 85. She also loved to travel and spent many winters in AZ and FL spending time with family and friends. She loved her plants, crocheting and playing music on her keyboard. She was also known to play the Jew’s harp, accordion and piano, and loved to dance. She loved ice cream, and never passed the chance to run down to Kozy Korner to get her Banana Pudding ice cream.

Irene is survived by her three children: Rodney Hutchinson of Palmer, AK; Ronald (Roxann) Hutchinson of Stanley, NY; and Brenda (Andrew) Graves of Watkins Glen, NY. She is also survived by two siblings, Marilyn Walker (Charles Whitmore) of Canandaigua, NY, and Mike (Toni) Morse of Bryans Road, MD, her dear friend Mae Church of Ontario, NY, and many treasured nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends.

Irene was preceded in death by her parents; Isaac & Marie (Bergstresser) Hayes, her longtime companion William Tolhurst, Jr, and her sister Violet Fenton Kranis.

Per request of the family, internment and a memorial service will be held in the spring or early summer.