Irene F. Madsen, 96, longtime Brush resident, passed away Friday, September 2, 2011, at the East Morgan County Hospital. She was born May 7, 1915, in Medford, OR, to Theodore & Myrtle Hawkinson. In 1921 the Hawkinson family moved to Brush. Irene married Gilbert Madsen on July 26, 1936, in Brush. Irene was a very active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and she enjoyed working as a volunteer at the East Morgan County Hospital and Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center. She also enjoyed cooking and working in her garden. Survivors include her sister –in-law Una Mae Nielsen of Iowa; a brother-in-law, Dwayne Madsen, and his wife, Julia, of Nebraska, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband; 1 sister, Mary; 3 brothers, Melvin, Don and Ivan; and her parents. Funeral services will be Friday, September 9, 2011, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brush at 11:00 AM Interment will follow in the Brush Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be at the church from 10 – 11 AM. Friends who wish may make memorial gifts to Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center or Bethlehem Lutheran Church.