Irene Shaw Casper, age 71, passed away in her home on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
She was born June 2, 1954, to Merlin John and Mildred Ottley Shaw in Murray, Utah. Irene was the youngest of six children. She remembers her older siblings, like her sister Heidi, bathing her, or her brother, Varol, singing to her in the evenings.
She was quite young (9 years old) when her father, Merlin John Shaw, passed away. The loss of her father at such a young age shaped the path of her youth — financially, emotionally and spiritually. Irene graduated from Provo High School in the ’70s and shortly after moved to Rock Springs. There she met and dated J. Don Casper.
Don and Irene were married on Oct. 8, 1977. They moved to Evanston shortly thereafter and raised their family there. Pregnancies were very difficult for her. She had a total of six children, three of whom died before or just after birth. Through the interventions at the high-risk clinic at the University Hospital in Salt Lake City, she was finally able to achieve successful pregnancies.
Irene worked for many years as a co-teacher for the “Domestic Abuse Intervention Program,” or DAIP, teaching an anger management class. After that, she worked for several years as a paraprofessional for Uinta County School District #1 at both the elementary and middle school levels.
Irene survived cancer in 2013. She proved over and over that adversity could be met with resilience, flexibility and a sense of humor.
She was a lifelong and devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in several capacities, including Relief Society president, Primary president, Young Women’s president, and additional leadership callings at both the ward and stake level. She loved the gospel, and it was the compass for her actions and her faith.
Irene loved her grandkids and loved to brag about them to others. They brought her such joy, and she wished that she had had the energy to be more involved in their lives.
Irene was a wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother and friend, and each of those roles was very important to her.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Mildred Ottley and Merlin John Shaw; her brother, Varol Shaw; and three children, Tracy Lynn, Daniel John and Matthew Michael.
She is survived by her husband of 47 years, J. Don Casper; and three children, Kristen (Kevin) Hutchinson, Sara Casper and J. Adam (Karen) Casper; and her grandchildren, Ciara, Clara, Lyra, Preston, Daniel, Ethan, Juniper and Riley. She is also survived by her brothers, George (Lorna) Shaw, David Shaw; and her two sisters, Heidi (Jack, deceased) Birch and Merlene (Lynn) Bybee; as well as a long list of nieces and nephews, who all loved her very much.
