Obituary of Jean Rieder Irving

Jean Rieder Irving died peacefully at her home in Trout Lake, Wash., on Feb. 8, 2023. She was 86. She was born in New York City on June 1, 1936, as the only child to Ethel and Louis Rieder. Jean lived in Connecticut for the first 60 years of her life. Her family moved to Greenwich and Darien, Conn., where she grew up and nurtured her love of horses and animals. She graduated from Centenary College, N.J., and attended Cornell University, where she put her nursing degree on hold to marry Griggs Irving, her classmate since the fourth grade. She raised a family in Kent, Conn., where she lived for the next 40 years. She was a gentle, kind and loving mother who raised four children and adopted a fifth. Her biggest smiles were seen on the family trailrides. She also loved cooking casseroles, doing crossword puzzles and listening to classical music. In the midst of raising her family, in 1968, Jean embraced her husband’s sabbatical year abroad and sailed to France on the SS France with her entire family. Finding herself immersed in a new culture and learning a new language was an experience she cherished. After her divorce in 1975, she finished her nursing degree, and worked as a nurse in northwestern Connecticut. Her family had all moved to the west coast and to be closer, she decided at the age of 60 to move from a small town in Connecticut to Trout Lake, where she could be closer to family. She spent the next 20 years of her life nurturing new friendships in a loving and supportive community. She is survived by her children Susan Irving Stone, Steven Irving, Stephanie Irving King, Stewart Irving, and her adopted son, Steven Miller; her many grandchildren, Jennifer, Julianna, Lucas, Alex, Syndey, Elliot, Owen, Sadie, John, Kevin, and Maggie; and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of her life will be held in Trout Lake in the springtime at a place and time to be determined. Donations in her name can be made to Trout Lake Community Foundation, sites.google.com/site/troutlakecommunityfoundation/home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you plant a tree or blueberry bush in her honor to feed the birds and clean the air.