Ruth Irene Dwigans, 100, who only answered to Irene or Dwig, died peacefully on April 3, 2024.

Born on Sept. 16, 1923, in Noblesville, Indiana, she was the daughter of Clarice Maxine Ayers Baughman and Clinton Henry Dwigans.

Raised in Noblesville, she served the United States during war time as a civilian, at first building RCA radios for Navy airplanes in the States and then in Korea, where, despite her lack of a degree in library science, she was assigned to be in charge of two U.S. Army libraries. She subsequently moved to Guam, where she established the first bookmobile service for military bases. Eventually, she returned to the States, where she earned a degree in library science from Indiana University and then headed to Germany to serve as a civilian librarian at Ramstein Air Base. Again, she returned to the States to earn a master’s degree at Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Irene worked in the Erie County Library system for 37 years. She was in charge of several branch libraries, ultimately becoming the Supervisor of Branches. She subsequently built a collection of large print books and foreign fiction.

After her retirement in 1991, she and her partner, the late Norma Jean Lamb, spent summers in Lake Placid, traveled extensively and pursued their interests in opera, classical music and theater. They maintained rich friendships with former colleagues and devotees to the arts.

Irene is survived by two siblings, nieces and nephews and their families.

A family reunion to celebrate her life will take place in Indiana later this spring. There will be a celebration of her life in Buffalo for her friends and very dedicated caretakers, also later this spring. Arrangements are in the care of the Lombardo Funeral Home in Amherst, New York.