Irene Cortez, age 42, passed away peacefully January 22, 2020. She was born February 8, 1977 in Oxnard, California to Felix and Irma Cortez. A happy and healthy baby who prided herself in being able to walk (not crawl) at only eight months of age.
Irene loved to love on people. She loved making you a custom mixtape or making you laugh with a silly joke or one of her many famous one-liners. A true Aquarius, she was very type-A, overprotective of those close to her and very sure of herself. As a kid, she was the leader of the pack and kept up with the older kids with ease. Her hands were rarely still, if she wasn’t working, then she was busy helping you cook up a delicious chile relleno or telling you how her method of barbecuing carne asada was better than yours.
For many years Irene worked as an embalmer in Ventura county, a career she chose at the age of 13 when her best friend was ran over by a drunk driver. It suited her servant heart. She said she did it because of a promise she made to herself. She used to always say: “Do what’s right and do what’s good. Be kind and help others. The world can always use one more kind person. And if you can take it one step further, please do it, you never know when it’s you who is in need of a favor.”
Her life was a living example of one of her favorite Bible verses, Corinthians 15:58 — “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Irene is survived by her mother, father, sister, two brothers, grandparents and her many uncles, cousins and friends. All of these she loved and touched deeply.
Please join us in celebrating her life Monday evening February 3, 2020, between 6:00 p.m. — 9 p.m. and Tuesday morning February 4, 2020, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Mary Star of the Sea Church, 463 W Pleasant Valley Rd, Oxnard, CA 93033.
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