Irene (Stark) Greenstein

Irene Susanne Greenstein (nee Stark), age 97 of Wellesley, formerly of Long Beach, NY, died on Thursday, December 2, 2022, after a long, colorful and wonderful life. Irene was born to Sydney and Rosalind (nee Jacobs) Stark in December, 1924 in Bronx, NY (for the record, she’d be less than pleased that we’re stating the year she was born publicly, sorry, Irene!)

In her childhood, she developed a love for dance that would continue throughout her life, including joining a traveling dance troupe in her early 20s. She even tried out for the famed Rockettes, but in her words, “Eh, I didn’t make it because I was too short. Their loss!” Her passion for dance was only rivaled by her eye-catching sartorial sense, two factors that serendipitously led to her meeting her would-be husband, Jacob “Jack” Greenstein, at age 25 when they both arrived at a hall for a dance that ended up canceled. Standing outside the building, trying to figure out what to do instead, Jack saw Irene, a great beauty in a stand-out red dress. He called out to her, and a great love story was born, leading to their marriage in 1949, which would last almost 70 years until Jack’s death in 2018.

In the early years of their marriage, Irene worked at Fortunoff’s department store as one of their famed perfume and makeup girls. With Jack, Irene had three beautiful children and was a loving mother to Gary Greenstein, Glenn Greenstein, and Sharon (nee Greenstein) Glazer, who predeceased her parents in September, 2000. She raised their family in Long Beach, NY, where they would spend their time swimming, body-surfing, and walking the boardwalk, traditions that later continued with her grandchildren.

Irene loved to travel. And together, she and Jack traversed the globe to places like Thailand, Hong Kong, Russia, and Egypt, where legend has it a sheik invited her to his palace and tried to add her to his harem. He might’ve done it had it not been for Jack deciding they shouldn’t give up their passports.

As talented as Irene was on the dance floor, she was less gifted in the kitchen. She would almost always burn any meat she cooked (much to the chagrin of Jack, a butcher), and her egg salad was infamous, mainly because it was always full of eggshells. But she liked to say that she brought so much other stuff to the table that "Jack didn’t mind much that I wasn’t a great cook. I always kept him happy anyway!”

We will always remember Irene’s bright and ever-present smile, sparkling laugh, flamboyant fashion sense, her and Jack’s mesmerizing Argentinian tango, and just how much she loved her family. We were lucky to call her ours for all these years.

In addition to being a loving daughter, wife, and mother, Irene was also a devoted sister to Francis Margulies. A dear mother-in-law to both Sharyn Greenstein and Jon Glazer. A cherished grandmother to Dana Olmeda & her husband John, Jeffrey Glazer & his partner Brian Waldman, Eric Greenstein & his wife Laura, Hanna Greenstein & her fiancé Tanner Fiske, and Jake Greenstein. A great grandmother to Sorrel Olmeda and an adoring aunt to her nieces, nephews, and their families.

A private graveside service has been held.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of the Good Shepard (www.gscommunitycare.org) or a charity of your choice.