Irene M. Ott

Irene Ott, career trailblazer, adventurous baker, master quilter, world traveler, and dedicated philanthropist, died peacefully in her home in the early evening of March 26th, 2026, in Arden Hills, MN. She was 94.

Born on May 26, 1931, to J Cyrus and Gladys Marie (Horning) Ott in Albert Lea, MN, Irene began her incredibly fulfilling life as a small-town girl alongside her sister, Fern, in their family home. Her early involvement and 10-year participation in 4-H planted the seed and laid a firm foundation for her future. From State Fair sheep blocking demonstrations to building items alongside her father to learning the tenets of club leadership, Irene took her 4-H skills into the University of Minnesota, College of Home Economics, in 1949, receiving her B.S. in Home Economics in 1954. Upon graduation, Irene worked as a McLeod County Home Economist, a period she called “the best ten years of my life, so far.” She spoke with love and humor and pride of the students and colleagues she worked with during this time, laughing through mishaps and recalling the barely-controlled-chaos of all the moving parts coming together to produce great results and success for all involved. During this time, Irene began gaining regional and national recognition within her field as a knowledgeable, compassionate, hard-working leader – distinctions Irene would continue to receive throughout her career.

In 1965, she took a sabbatical and returned to the University of Minnesota, completing her master’s degree in Family Economics and Educational Psychology in 1968, moving to Flint, Michigan as a county Home Economist afterwards. In this position, Irene continued to thrive, breaking gender barriers again and again as she was offered increasingly skilled leadership positions. In 1972, she became the first female Michigan State Program Leader, supervising all agriculture, horticulture, and home economics agents in the 11-county western region. During this pivotal time in history and as Equal Opportunity laws were created, Irene helped guide the programs to be more inclusive and available to all people, in all areas, of all needs.

In 1980, Irene returned to Minnesota and became the Program Leader of Home Economics with the University of Minnesota Extension Service, becoming the Acting Director of Extension Home Economics Programs two years later and enjoying professorship two years after that, rounding out her illustrious professional career.

At 55, Irene embraced retirement with the same fervor she brought to work. She travelled extensively, and these experiences – the people she met, the cultures she experienced, and the hardships she knew could be remedied – coupled with her education, drove her lifelong philanthropy. Through her unwavering generosity, Irene enabled eight underprivileged children to graduate high school through Common Hope, twenty-six international students to pursue their degrees at the University of Minnesota, and many other communities to grow and thrive through various programs and initiatives, globally. She continued supporting others, through funds and knowledge and leadership, until her death and created the Irene M. Ott International Fellowship in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota to continue in perpetuity.

Between trips and adventures, Irene designed, pieced, and created an amazing array of full-sized quilts in addition to countless table runners and other smaller works. She custom-made quilts for family members, created historical-based quilts after her visit to Gee’s Bend, toyed with interesting color and pattern combinations, and tried her hand at various blocks and techniques with varying degrees of frustration and joy. She allowed her mistakes to remain, making each piece her own in more ways than one. She signed each quilt with her name, the design, and year it was created. She formed relationships with other quilters, enjoyed the painstaking process (while celebrating the completion), and proudly gifted quilted pieces to loved ones near and far. Irene leaves a legacy of stitched work across the country for generations to come.

Irene was also an avid genealogist, researching, interviewing, compiling, and publishing her family’s story along each of its winding branches. When someone married into the family, Irene loved having conversations about their own family’s history, listening intently and asking follow-up questions to each story, adding branch after branch to the larger family’s tree. Her genealogy work also included the compilation of the Ott-Horning Heritage Cookbook, an endeavor shared with Irene’s sister and mother. Upon its completion, the cookbook was gifted to family members, featured in the local papers, and sold over 600 copies, turning the simple undertaking into something beyond their imagination. Many will continue to pull recipes from the cookbook at holidays to recreate those classic, heartwarming, nostalgic goodies of their childhood.

Throughout her life, even as her living situation changed and “old age” began in earnest, Irene was a boldly capable, fiercely knowledgeable, deeply compassionate, strongly independent woman. She has chaired numerous positions, served on multiple committees, and used her leadership roles to advocate for positive change in every way she knew how, keeping abreast of the pertinent initiatives of each changing decade. Her contributions to society are varied and reached so many people and groups. She volunteered as a Reading Coach at Vadnais Heights Elementary for 19 years; she BeFriended several elderly people in the final years of their lives; she spearheaded the updating of libraries and public-facing services. Woven into every aspect of her life, the basis of her religious beliefs and personal standard of living, was the adage: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” And Irene did so very much good.

Irene is survived by her nieces Charleen (Shea) Steffen and JoLane (Shea) Svendsen and Charlotte (Haak) Shea; her great-nieces and nephews Steven (Jolene), James (Tracy), Sarah (Jim), Leah (Melvin), and John; her great-great nieces and nephews Joshua (Olivia), Shea, Lillian, Samuel, Jaeden, Connor, and Cyrus; and great-great-great nephew Wells; and a multitude of extended family and friends.

Irene was preceded in death by her father J Cyrus Ott and mother Gladys (Horning) Ott; her sister Fern (Ott) Shea; and her nephews Melvin Steffen and Gregory Shea.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Johanna Shores Fellowship Hall at 1:00pm on April 26, 2026, with a reception to follow. Please attend, if you are able, to celebrate, honor, and share memories of Irene.

In lieu of flowers, Irene and her family ask for donations to Common Hope or the Irene M. Ott International Fellowship through the University of Minnesota.