Irene K. Mead

On 7 February 2021, Irene Kar Mead, beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend, received a mission transfer to labor on the other side of the veil. She has undoubtedly been reunited with many friends and loved ones. She was 79 years old.

Irene was born 25 October 1941, in Tehran, Iran, to Mohammad Kar and Tatjana Kowarski. Her parents instilled in her two great loves: a love of education, and a love of God. These were the driving forces of her life, and through them she touched the hearts of thousands.

From her earliest memories, Irene prayed to know the truth about God. It was in Geneva, Switzerland, as a young college student, that she found the answer to her many prayers. She enrolled in an English language class taught by two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She checked out a copy of The Book of Mormon from the university library and read the entire book in three days. Her soul’s thirst to know God was quenched by a rush of living waters as she immersed herself in the book. She was baptized shortly thereafter.

After joining the Church, Irene dedicated her life to sharing the Gospel. She began by eagerly sharing her newfound joy with her mother, who soon followed her into the waters of baptism. The two subsequently moved to Utah, where Irene completed her higher education.

In Utah, Irene met and married A. Dennis Mead. Together they had five children: Chirine, Monique, Tatjana, Anitra, and David. She was a loving, dedicated mother who found great joy in teaching their children through study and example.

Irene loved to garden and shared the fruits of her labors to nurture and care for those around her. She also spent countless hours tutoring neighborhood children in math, reading and writing. Over the course of several years, she traveled back and forth to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, helping her daughters there raise their small children. Later, she volunteered at a local college, where she tutored students, most from foreign countries. In her later years she fellowshipped dozens of young missionaries and Iranian immigrants, nurturing them in the Gospel.

Irene’s deep desire to share the gospel led her to serve several missions for the Church. The first was a temple mission in the Dominican Republic, where she added Spanish to her repertoire of languages and rejoiced in serving the peoples of the Caribbean. She then served two missions in Los Angeles, CA. There the promise in her patriarchal blessing was finally fulfilled as she introduced the gospel to “her people” in her native Farsi. Even after her official release, she continued teaching her beloved brothers and sisters in all corners of the globe via online platforms.

Irene is preceded in death by her parents, survived by her brothers, Cambys and Koorosh, and sister, Anna. She is also survived by her five children, 24 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held Thursday, 11 February 2021, at 2:00 p.m. at the Highland City Cemetery, 6200 West 11000 North, Highland, Utah. The service will be recorded. A video tribute to Irene will be available after 12:00 pm MST on 16 February 2021. Click here to view. 

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the General Missionary Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.