Irene Anne Lumgair

Irene Anne Lumgair August 18, 1929 - May 1, 2017 WINDSOR - Irene Anne (Krumbein) Lumgair of Windsor, California, passed away from natural causes at the age of 87 on Monday, May 1st, 2017. Irene was born on August 18,1929 in Iron River, Michigan, to Henry and Anna (Johnsen) Krumbein. Henry was a self-made professional with expertise in the new electrical and battery technologies of the day and their practical applications in mining, radio and other industries who delighted in photography and teaching Irene and her older sister, Mary, to play piano. Anna was a joyful mother with great talents in practical gardening, expert baking and dressmaking and artistic expression. Irene called her early childhood in Iron River and Michigan's upper peninsula amongst the pines and lakes "one of the last vestiges of the Garden of Eden." She credited these early impressions of unspoiled wilderness for fostering her lifelong sensitivity and appreciation of nature's wonders. During the Depression, her family moved back to Chicago where her father had grown up, the middle of three sons of German immigrants. Irene's uncles were also significant and unique influences upon her path. Her older uncle, Charles Krumbein, was a delegate to the 1919 founding convention of the Communist Labor Party of America and later, a party officer and strong supporter of workers in turbulent times that inspired her from a distance. In contrast, her younger uncle, William (Bill) Christian Krumbein, was much closer in age to her own father who had helped support Bill after their father's early death. Uncle Bill, called "the father of mathematical geology" by his academic peers, was a Professor at the University of Chicago then Northwestern University and was known as academically ahead of his time. Bill was a notable geologist, professor, mentor, author, Fulbright Lecturer and Guggenheim Fellow (1941) after whom the Krumbein Medal of the International Association for Mathematical Geology (IAMG) is named. He treated young Irene and her sister as adults and equals, encouraging these young women to do anything their intellect supported. In Chicago, Irene thrived, graduated high school then attended the American Academy of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. She was an independent, adventurous soul, and left the Midwest for San Diego, California, where she joined the airplane riveting team at Convair Corporation before moving to office support where she met her former husband, Tom Lumgair, in the aerospace engineering group. They raised two sons, Douglas and John, as Irene pursued her passion for painting the natural California landscapes around her including deserts, mountains, waterfalls and the sea. The most challenging subject, the ocean, was her artistic passion. Her years of paintings range through both literal realistic portrayals as well as distilled colorful renderings of seascapes featuring seagulls and wave action. For many years she was a resident artist in the Spanish Village galleries, Balboa Park, San Diego. She is the published author of Wave Action, in Walter Foster's How to Draw and Paint series. Her seascapes are in collections worldwide. In retirement, Irene moved with her partner of many decades, fellow artist Thomas Hayes, to Douglas City in northern California to enjoy the natural scenery of the Trinity Alps and visits with family and friends. She enjoyed traveling, art, culture and history, even spending a month in Italy with Tom Hayes, her son Douglas and his wife, Julie, just before her 82nd birthday. Irene was preceded in death by her parents and two uncles; her sister, Mary (Krumbein) Kale; her partner, Thomas Hayes; and former husband, Tom Lumgair. Irene is survived by her son, Douglas, and daughter-in-law, Julie (Hagler) Lumgair, of Sonoma County, CA; her son, John, daughter-in-law, Lori (Lott) Lumgair and granddaughter J-Ann Lumgair, of Lewiston, CA; her grandson Jori and granddaughter-in-law, Nancy (Houston) Lumgair, and great-granddaughter, Lauren Lumgair of Redding, CA; her bother-in-law, Paul Kale of Phoenix, AZ; her niece Nancy (Kale) LaBay and husband, Michael LaBay; grand niece Jessica (LaBay) Ryan and husband, Scott Ryan, and great grand nieces Maggie and Lilah Ryan, all of Chicago, IL. Burial and a private family service will take place at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine, Illinois, so she may rest with her sister and parents. Condolences may be sent to the Lumgair family, P. O. Box 311, Windsor, CA, 95492. Memorials that protect California's natural coastal beauty may be given to the Ocean Conservancy. http://www.oceanconservancy.org/who-we-are/. Irene Lumgair will be missed, but always remembered and loved by those whose lives she touched.