Irene Ditzel

Cremation will take place at Schrader’s Sunset Park Crematory. A memorial service with a private interment will be held at a later date. Irene J. Ditzel, 87, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, passed away early Friday morning, March 12, 2010, at the Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne. Irene was born July 21, 1922, in Milford, Connecticut, a daughter of Anthony and Esther (Dombrowski) Swiderski. Her parents emigrated from Poland to Milford Connecticut where Irene was born and raised. During the Great Depression, when Irene was 15, her mother passed away and Irene left school to help raise her seven younger siblings. During World War II, Irene went west and worked as a Rosie the Riveter for Boeing where she helped build the B17 Flying Fortress. She eventually settled in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she worked as a telephone operator for Mountain Bell Telephone Company until her retirement in 1987. Irene was a lifelong learner, enjoying history, geography, literature, current events, politics and horticulture. She rarely went a day without completing the daily crossword puzzle. She enjoyed family gambling trips to Blackhawk, Reno and Las Vegas. Her passion for learning, cooking, gardening and animals will be missed enormously. She is survived by two children, Joyce Chalstrom and Jim Ditzel of Cheyenne, four grandchildren, Joe Cassidy, Teri Cassidy, Michelle Cassidy and Jade Ditzel of Cheyenne, and one great-granddaughter. She is also survived by one brother and two sisters. Irene was preceded in death by one son, Charles Ditzel, three brothers and one sister. Expressions of sympathy in Irene’s memory may be made to the Davis Hospice Center, 6000 Sycamore, Cheyenne, WY 82009, or to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, 800 Southwest Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82007.