Who is Irene Weatherspoon?
She is one of my favorite seniors in Skeeterville and head of the resident board at the Friendly Arms 
Apartments. I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next!
Before she retired, she was a math teacher at the local high school, the principal at the high school, and mother. The math class won several awards while she was teaching. Most of her students went on to college. She wanted to help children achieve their dreams which led her to become the principal. Her daughter rebelled and got a little wild while finding her path in life, but she settled down and grew into a fine woman. She’s a bank manager who comes to see Irene every week.
Now 76, she keeps active by participating in the activities at the church on the other side of the park, and in the Birdwatchers Club. Irene is an organizer and has great observational skills. Because of her interest in mysteries, she has learned some intriguing skills. She can pick a lock, if it isn’t too complicated. She has read about what they look for at a crime scene and keeps latex gloves in her purse, just in case. She watches all the episodes of CSI and Law and Order on TV. Though she can be nosy and blunt, it’s always with good intentions.Because Irene values all the people in her life, she wants to help them. Always willing to take action to right a wrong, or solve a mystery, she feels the need to help fix problems, which can be a flaw when she goes overboard to help.
Tidbits: She’s oblivious to the danger she puts herself into when she is investigating and carries a notebook to write down tidbits, or clues. When she starts pacing, her friends know she’s pondering a problem. Her solutions are. . .creative. She’s afraid of heights and snakes. She tried to learn to play the piano but found she had no musical talent. She tries not to cuss but sometimes one slips out.
Her youth: Irene’s father worked at the snap factory until it closed, then he travelled to work down river at another factory. Her mother was a nurse until she was crippled, yet she still found a way to do projects to help soldiers overseas or the men who were out of work during the depression. Irene helped her mom around the house and drove to Frederick to go to Hood College and then home to fix dinner every night until she graduated and started working at Skeeterville High. She married a soldier who appreciated her energy after her mother passed away, and she took care of her dad until he died.
Watch for Hiding Miss Daisy coming in June.
Mildred and Daisy are the two oldest residents of the Friendly Arms Apartments. Daisy is getting dementia. Her daughter wants to put her in Sunnydale Medical Center in the Assisted Living wing. BUT, there is unexplained death at Sunnydale. Irene is determined to find out why and is willing to go undercover to keep her older cousin from danger.
Teresa Quill - Author 