Irene Bernadette Elizabeth Sulger Hildebrandt
06/14/1920-10/06/2016
Goodnight Irene, goodnight, I’ll see you in my dreams.
M
y mom, Irene, grew up on Silleck
Street in Clift on, New Jersey. Her
father, August Sulger, was a Swiss
immigrant and her mother Lillian
ne Miller, a native New Yorker.
Th ey were Bohemians, jacks of all trades; boot leg-
ging, court room interpreting, bartending and driver
instructing. Th ey ran a service station and had the
fi rst car on the block. Th ey instilled in Irene a “Rise
to the Occasion” spunk and spirited Joie de Vivre.
She was always the life of the party, with her favorite
toast “Here’s to those who wish us well, and those
who don’t, can go to hell”.
Among those who wished her well was her be-
loved childhood friend, Kay Landa. At 6, they be-
came inseparable and remained close friends for the
next 90 years.
August died when Irene was 8, Lillian, when
she was 16. It was the height of the Depression, and
times were hard. Irene moved in with the Polands,
close family friends, and got her own phone number.
Th e next ten years are sketchy, I called them “Th e
lost years”. She pleaded the 5th, although her favorite
WW1 quote may have come from this period “It’s a
great world if you don’t weaken or waken.”
At 25, she and my Dad, Charles Hildebrandt,
married.Th ey had Diane, Charlie, Gary (who died at
birth), and then me, her namesake.
We lived in Hoboken and then Jersey City, New
Jersey. We spent summers at our beloved cabin in
IRENE 1942
Windham, upstate New York where Irene was in her
element. A gang of friends and their kids. Moun-
tains of her silver dollar pancakes, Scotch and sodas,
I’ll Be Seeing You
bar-b-cueing! I don’t even know where everyone
slept. She taught me everything I know about being the
I’ll be seeing you
hostess with the mostest.
in all the old familiar places,
Irene loved her job with AT&T in Manhattan, starting
that this heart of mine embraces
as an operator back in the 50’s, then advancing to super-
all day through.
vising the Installation and Repair Department (which was
part of the communication systems for the 1969 moon-
In that small cafe,
walk) on Broad Street, right across from the World Trade
the park across the way,
Center. In September 2000, she and I met in New Jersey to
the children’s carousel ,
attend Craig’s lavish NJ wedding. We took the tubes from
the
chestnut
trees, the wishing well.
Hoboken to the WTC basement, went up the monumen-
tal escalator to Broad Street and visited her old neighbor-
I’ll be seeing you
hood. We were glad we did...
in every lovely summer day
When my dad died in 1971 , she and Auntie Kay,
In every thing that’s light and gay,
whose husband, John, had also died, hatched a plan
I’ll always think of you that way.
and fearlessly moved with all us kids to Margate, Flori-
da. I gave my mom the nickname, Mon Ami, which got
I’ll fi nd you in the morning sun
shortened to Mona. For the next 15 years, she worked for
and when the night is new.
Southern Bell and ran the non-profi t Hildebrandt Hacien-
I’ll
be looking at the moon,
da, with friends and family always visiting for FLAR-I-DA
but I’ll be seeing you
vacations. In 1987, aft er retiring, she moved the Hacienda
to Panama City Beach on the Gulf, and had the time of
Billie Holiday 1944
her life with a brand new gang of family and
friends. James and her Jessica (honorable #3
child, who had moved down from Jersey City
to buy the house next to hers on Michele Ct.);
Neti, Tito, and their son Peter; and all her mall
walking buddies.
Always ready to hop in the car, boat or
plane, Irene visited Mexico, she cruised the
Caribbean and Alaska, and fl ew to Europe.
But the crowning glory, bucket list experience
was our 2008 month long trip to Switzerland
to see August’s old stomping ground in Basil
land and the Alsace. He had told her so many
stories about growing up in Switzerland, and
had always wanted to bring her and Lillian
back to visit his home land.
Irene meditated with me at ashrams in
California, tried guavas in my tree house on
Maui, and loved San Francisco. She came to
I and I at Sweet Cheeks
Eugene every year to attend grand kid’s school
functions, and spent her birthday with us. She
couldn’t understand why Eugene was so damn cold
in June.
Vacations in Florida were Disney, Cape Canaver-
al (born later she would have been an astonaut), the
Miracle Strip, PCB 5ks, Uncle Ernie’s lunches, and
Pineapple Wiley’s fabulous french fries, root beers
and dollar Coronas on the beach.
In 2003, Irene had a car accident and gave up one
of her greatest joys, driving. She decided to move to
Eugene to be closer to us.
Oh no...Eugene was not Flar-i-da, not even close...
Aft er awhile Irene settled in. She lived at the
Washington Abby and then moved in with us on the
other side of Gimpl Hill.
Th ank heavens for the “Women of Vision”; Al,
Anne, Betsy, Bonnie, Linda, and Pam. You wel-
comed her into your hearts and gave her something
to look forward to on Wedsnesday nights.
Th ank heavens for our Lawrence St. kitchen table
sessions with “Take me to the Station, Mojo”. She al-
ways admired your style.
Th ank heavens for Friday Night Jazz with Jason
and Olem. She reigned Supreme as Jazz Queen, re-
galing all with stories of her 40’s Jazz club experienc-
es in NYC. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Th eloni-
ous Monk, Louis Armstrong and more. She had seen
it all and was a “By proxy celebrity.”
Th ank heavens for Sarver and Sweet Cheeks. You
know.... she owned the place. Th ank you, Ian and Jean
Anne, Mallory and Laura for putting up with us.
We were thrilled with the Mon Ami cafe in Flor-
ence. Th ank you for naming your restaurant aft er
her! Mona and I, being East Coasters, thoroughly
enjoyed your egg salad sandwiches on many occasions
while visiting the coast.
In 2015, Auntie Kay, her beloved childhood friend
from Silleck St. died at 96 in Coeur-d’Alene, Idaho. Re-
markably, we had all wound up here in the great NW.
We joined Ancestry this year and discovered August’s
Great Aunt Eda’s descendants, April and her family. Th ey
had lived in Gardiner and gone to the UO, and had even
been into the restaurant before we met. Wow!
Irene died at 96, October 6, 2016, in her bed and at
home at “Th e Oaks”, a place she grew to love because it
reminded her so much of Windham. Ahleah and I held
her hands and told her how much we loved her as she took
her fi nal breaths. She was very much at peace.
Irene loved and appreciated you Will. You were fi gura-
tively and literally supportive, holding her up for so many
years. Ahjah, Ahleah, and Isaiah, you made Nanny so
proud and were always there for her in your own way and
at just the right time.
Th ank you Hospice team Lorol, Beth, Connie, Mar-
geret, Jill and Gary. Your knowledge, songs and compas-
sion helped us through.You are truly angels.
It wasn’t easy for my mom to give up her
mortal body. She loved life dearly and had no
regrets. Hopefully, she’s now with family and
old friends (they were the same for Irene)
rising to the occasion, telling some fantastic
story, and being the life of the party, 4EVER.
Th ank you so much Mom, you were such
a force of nature, a mentor and mon ami. You
are truly missed.
Your loving family: 3 Children; Irene Boi-
se (Will), Charles Hildebrandt (Maureen),
Diane (Hildebrandt) Girone. 9 Grandchil-
dren; Ahjah, Ahleah, Isaiah (Amanda) Boi-
se, Steven Girone, Douglas (Nichole), Scott
(Marisa), Ryan (Liz), Lauri and Nicole Hil-
debrandt. 7 Great Grandchildren; Steven
Girone, Emma Grace and Jax Noah Hildeb-
randt, Sam Alex and Eric Hildebrandt, Reese
and Gabe Hildebrandt N
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