Saratoga Springs, NY - Irene Rita Mulholland died peacefully Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015 at Saratoga Hospital. She was 92 years old. Born on April 22, 1922 in Lowestoft, England, she was the daughter of the late Frederick and Rita (Liffen) Martin. She married Maurice (Bud) Mulholland in Norwich, England on June 14, 1945. Bud passed away on Aug. 8, 1982. Irene was also predeceased by her brothers, Frederick and Paul Martin and sister Pat Bissett all of England and grandson Ian Mulholland. At a young age, Irene's family moved to Norwich, England where her dad was a commercial fisherman in the North Sea. Irene was the oldest child and in her late teens when World War 11 broke out and she vividly recalled the German bombing raids "the skies would be black with German bombers and as the sirens went off the terrified people ran to shelters. When the all clear alarm went off we would came out and help volunteers dig people out that were trapped in the rubble of their homes, very often ending up with bloodied hands and knees" Irene worked in a munitions factory outside of the city. She was proud that the plant was entirely staffed with women except for 2 men who kept the machines running that produced the 40-50lb shells for the British cannons. Eventually she worked her way up to chief inspector. Hearing her account of walking to work one day was historic, "I had to get up early because the bus that took us to the factory was a bit of a hike from my house. It was near dawn and I could hear a loud drone and as daylight came I looked up and saw so many allied planes that I don't think you could fit a pin between them." That day was June 6, 1944, D-Day and Irene had an early preview of the allied punch the Germans were about to receive across the English Channel. About this time her fun loving dad brought home a Yank, he had met, for a good home cooked meal. That is how Irene met Buddy. They were married near wars end and a short time later Irene immigrated to her new hometown, Saratoga Springs. They started raising a family and bought a home on the corner of Waterbury and Lawrence Street where together they had seven children. Early on, money was scarce but Irene was a great cook and knew how to stretch a buck. It was a happy home where all the children were encouraged to be the best they could be. She was always a good listener and her example was perseverance. In 1967 Irene and her husband started running the Friendly Corner Grocery Store where all members of the family took turns helping out. When Irene lost Buddy she didn't have much time to pity herself. There was always a crisis within the family of one form or another and she was usually in the center offering help and became an invaluable mentor for all her children and grandchildren. She also found time to volunteer for the blood bank and various senior citizen organizations. When Irene was 80, she proudly raised her hand and became a US citizen and at the same time retained her British citizenship. She loved the freedom of her adopted country and its history of Washington and Lincoln but her resolve came from the same place as Churchill and Thatcher. A couple of years ago while attending the movie "The King's Speech" Irene blurted out "I remember that! Bertie (King George) spoke and after we knew what we had to do to win the war" as the credits rolled people who had heard her came over and wanted to know more. Irene and her escort shined while she answered all the inquiries of that historic moment. We love you mom and whenever things appear bleak we will still reach out and feel the strength of your guiding hand and when things look up we will feel from our hearts that unbridled joy you gave us. Irene's survivors include her sisters, Kathleen Reeves and Sylvia (Colin) Sayer of England; sons, Michael (Janet) Mulholland, Paul (Amy) Mulholland of Saratoga Springs, Mark (Denise) Mulholland, James (Sharon) Mulholland of Greenfield Center and Joseph (Tammy) Mulholland of Roxboro, NC; daughters, Martha Cleary of San Antonio, TX and Victoria Linn (Curt Reeve) of Brattleboro, VT; nephew Dennis Mulholland of Saratoga Springs; grandchildren Bill, Brian, Katie, DJ, Rita, Mike, Annie, Quinn, Maureen, Matt, Christine, Sarah, Kim, Lincoln, Colin, Erin, Elizabeth, Joe, Ryan and Zack and 18 great-grandchildren. Relatives and friends may call from 4 to 7pm Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing and Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 North Broadway (584-5373). A funeral service will follow at 7pm. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Salvation Army or a Veteran's organization of one's choice. The family would like to give a special thanks to the staff and friends at the Wilton Home of the Good Shepard, the doctors and staff at Saratoga Hospital, longtime personal physician Dr. Brian Izzo and present physician Dr. Eldridge. Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.