Irene Webb Dorsey

Born in Statesville, North Carolina, on April 30, 1928, Irene moved to Charlotte with her parents, Oscar Renn Webb, and Rebecca Mae (Echerd) Webb. She graduated from Thomasboro High School and met her husband, Mickey, when they worked at Pneumafil. Later they would build a successful business on their own in Charlotte, Lubromation Inc., now operated by her son, Dale. She was the financial brains of the business and managed the office until her retirement.

A life-long learner, Irene was an avid reader and student of life. She said she never met a mystery she didn’t like and often quipped that she knew many ways to kill people without leaving evidence. Eating dinner at the Mt. Holly home usually required moving books and newspapers off the table, first. An astute businesswoman, she used her real estate courses to buy several rental properties which she managed. She also raised and sold Irish Setter puppies so that she could furnish her house in Mount Holly, North Carolina, and she used this money to finance a trip, by herself, to Europe.

The Mt. Holly and Seabrook Island house always had one or more animals present, from dogs to monkeys to goats, rabbits, cockatiels, and Maggie, a deer she befriended at Seabrook Island. An avid animal lover, Irene had several Chihuahuas, each named Poco.

She never shrank from a challenge. She navigated the early years of special education in public schools, advocating for her special needs child. Irene was a fierce advocate for her daughter and continued this throughout her life. Whether the schools or other challenges, Irene was always her own person and fearless. She never thought that there was anything she could not do. After her retirement, she did volunteer work for the Reach Crisis Line in Charlotte. When she and Mickey moved to Seabrook Island, South Carolina, she began her interest in genealogy which led to her finding her Scottish board family on AOL which she later navigated to Facebook as the Coal Bin. Irene went on to search for “dead people,” as her daughter Diane often stated, and continued for the rest of her life to look for one particular ancestor, the elusive Robert Webb. During this period, she worked tirelessly to obtain the information she needed and joined the DAR in Charleston, South Carolina.

Irene remained young at heart throughout her life. She loved to laugh and had an ability to see humor in everything. She loved the beauty in nature and lived for 15 years with her husband on Seabrook Island, a place she adored for its beauty. It was always a great delight for her in her later years to go back to Seabrook for a birthday or Christmas vacation.

After her husband Mickey died in 2017, and she needed more assistance, she moved to Merrywood in Charlotte and then later to Brookdale in West Ashley in Charleston to be closer to her oldest daughter, Debbi. Her frequent excursions to Seabrook and trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains, all arranged by her daughter, were special occasions which Irene looked forward to and which made her golden years even more golden.