Obituary of Irene D. Moehs

Irene Dassler Moehs died peacefully in Belfast, Maine, on May 10, 2020, following a recent stroke. Irene settled in Belfast after her retirement in 2013 to live near her son Morten Moesswilde and his extended family. She embraced the community and enjoyed long walks outdoors, German conversation group at the Coop, church events, and local concerts, even as her health grew frail. She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast. Irene was born on December 30, 1934, in Bad Ziegenhals, a small German town in Silesia, in what is now Poland. In the wake of World War II, she and her family were deported to West Germany and started a new life. Her father Paul Dassler was a teacher and school principal, and her mother Maria Wilde had her own millinery business. Irene earned her B.A. degree in theology at University of Freiburg, Germany, where she met and married fellow student Charles Moehs, an American. They moved to the United States in 1965, and by 1970 had settled in Old Forge, NY, with their four children. She was a very active volunteer, serving also on the boards of the local arts center and library. Irene earned her M.A. in German Literature at SUNY Albany and later moved to Syracuse, NY. There, she served on the Central New York (CNY) chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) board, the boards of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Foundation and of the choral group Schola Cantorum, while also working as a librarian at the Onondaga County Library and at Syracuse Cultural Workers, where she had many close friends and colleagues. In 1999, Irene was awarded an Unsung Heroine Award by NOW. Irene leaves a legacy of kindness and concern for others; an enduring passion for feminism, social justice and community service; a joy in the laughter of children; and a love of reading, music, travel, and the arts. Her family across the United States and Europe includes her brother Kurt and sister Irmgard; her daughter Teta Moehs and her husband Bill and daughter Alina; her sons, Max Moehs and his wife Lisa and children Tristan and Kaelen; Morten Moesswilde and his wife Joanne and children Emma and Soren; Joachim Moehs and his partner Teri; former spouse Charles; and many cherished cousins, nephews, nieces, and dear friends. Her family appreciates the excellent care she received after moving to Harbor Hill in March, and extends its sincere thanks to the entire staff. She was also lovingly cared for during a stay at Tall Pines in 2018-19.