In the early morning of March 17, 2015, Irene E. (Bass) Blake quietly passed away in her Carlisle home with her husband of more than fifty years faithfully caring for her. She was 76 years of age. Born in Manchester, NH on July 19, 1938, Irene primarily grew up in Laconia. As a young woman, she worked as a waitress at the Indian Head Restaurant and the renowned Wentworth-by-the-Sea Resort before moving to Boston. In 1964, Irene married Wayne Blake and moved to Carlisle. She was employed in a number of capacities by Raytheon. Irene became an executive secretary in the training department and was involved with creating and compiling numerous comprehensive training manuals. Never one to resist a challenge, Irene taught herself vital skills that enabled her to be promoted to master planner, a position that utilized both her innate mechanical aptitude as well as her keen sense of efficiency. After 11 years at Raytheon, Irene left to start her family. During this time, Irene was a typist for the Carlisle Mosquito at its various locations over the years. Irene not only typed for the newspaper, but was a prolific contributor, authoring over 75 articles on all manner of timely issues and intriguing topics. Always a quick and willing study, Irene also learned drafting skills and was employed by a local surveyor. As full and diverse as Irene's work life was, her spirit of volunteerism was equally impressive, wide-ranging, and meaningful. Irene was a participant of the Carlisle Food Co-operative for a number of years. As an active member of the Carlisle Congregational Church, Irene also earned the credential of National Certified Food Handler, allowing her to assist with countless catered functions at the Church and to coordinate the annual Pancake Breakfast. Nurturing young people was also a great source of pride and joy for Irene. With two sons of her own, being a Cub Scout leader seemed a natural extension of home life. She attended the countless fencing tournaments and musical performances of both her sons as Fencing Mom and Band Mom. She was also affiliated with the 4-H for six years, helping young girls acquire an appreciation for the natural world and aptitude in life skills that enabled them to develop into responsible, confident, and capable citizens. In one way or another, Irene's volunteer efforts spilled over into the daily life of nearly every Carlisle resident. At the Gleason Public Library, she helped with the process of barcoding new library cards. Irene was also an integral part of Town Meetings and elections, serving as teller or "crank" on numerous occasions, and conscientiously maintaining the integrity of voting results. In the early 1990s, Irene would periodically assist in the Town Clerk's office by answering the phone; by 1996, she had become Assistant Town Clerk, and eventually trained the current Clerk. Irene continued to volunteer in the Clerk's office even after her retirement. Blessed with many talents and always willing to share herself with friends and neighbors, Irene relished life's simple pleasures and engaged in many hobbies which gave her great happiness and satisfaction. An avid genealogist, she thoroughly enjoyed researching the extensive lineage of the Bass and Blake families. Quite the enthusiastic athlete, Irene loved playing tennis and, as many friends and family recall, truly knew the meaning of multi-tasking, as she often would let her bread dough to rise in the backseat of her car and punched it down between tennis matches! She was also a member of the "Acorn Nuts" field hockey team (that frequently beat many of the local high school teams), served as pitcher for the local ladies' softball league, and played volleyball and basketball as well. While in high school, Irene was one of the first two women to get their state licenses to referee basketball; her high school class was undefeated in all intramural sports in all four years. For as much work and play as Irene engaged in on land, it was time spent sailing alongside her husband Wayne, first riding the trapeze while racing their Jollyboat, then cruising aboard their catboat Tambourine that provided Irene with perhaps the most blissful times of her life. It was on Tambourine that the whole family spent their summers together for over 18 years, with many fond memories of sailing down the coast line from Marblehead to Cape Cod. She even had both boys on the boat before their first birthdays, always saying that it was a great lesson in learning to get along, as there is nowhere to run away from each other on a 21-foot catboat! In addition to her husband, Irene is survived by her sons, David of Billerica, MA and Adam of Hudson, NH; and her brothers, Lawrence and Roger Bass, both of Satellite Beach, FL, and their families. A service to remember and honor Irene's life will be held on Saturday, March 28 at 11:00 am in the Carlisle Congregational Church, 147 School Street, Carlisle. A reception will follow at the Church. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Irene may be made to Carlisle Congregational Church, 147 School St, Carlisle MA 01741 978-369-7830 www.CarlisleCongregational.org and put "Kitchen" in the memo for the kitchen fund. Arrangements are under the care of Charles W. Dee and Susan M. Dee, Dee Funeral Home of Concord. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.deefuneralhome.com.