Irene S. D'Olivio, 91, passed away at her home in Hopewell Junction next door to her daughter on Saturday, August 10, 2019. She was a beloved mother and grandmother and a long-time Hopewell Junction resident. Irene was born in Bayside, Queens, to Stephen and Helen Sokoloski. She was predeceased by her husband, Bruno D'Olivio, in 2012. She leaves behind her daughter, Raphael Kosek and son-in-law, Stanislaw Kosek, and two grandchildren, Kateri and John Kosek.

In June of 1948, Ms. Irene Sokoloski was selected Miss Wappingers Falls and took part in the Poughkeepsie Regatta parade celebration. Her first job was with the Poughkeepsie New Yorker, now the Poughkeepsie Journal, which published her poems. She worked as an executive secretary at Vassar College before her daughter was born, and later as a travel agent and a beloved TA in Special Education at John Jay High School. She was very proud of being a volunteer at the nascence of the East Fishkill Community Library which was housed in an old church, and she always believed in the importance of books and reading. She was fond of history, literature, music, art, and animals, inculcating a love of these in her daughter who is very grateful. She was skilled at sewing and loved making everything from French designer dresses to beautiful ragdolls based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder characters. She loved to travel and was a marvelous cook. As a Depression era child, she fondly remembered Eleanor Roosevelt on her way to Hyde Park, stopping at her parents' Dutchess Tea Room on Route 9. Irene had a strong faith and was a long-time member of St. Columba Parish in Hopewell Junction.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 2 to 4 pm and 7 to 9 pm at McHoul's Funeral Home in Hopewell Junction, with a Mass at 10 am, Friday, August 16, at St. Columba Church. Interment will follow at St. Denis Cemetery. The family is very grateful to Natalya, her aide, and Hudson Valley Hospice. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations to the Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation, 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12501 (www.hvhospice.org).