Irene M. (Hupka) Ivankovics

Oct. 14, 1925 - Sept. 1, 2010
SOUTH BEND - Former South Bend resident Irene Marie (Goulet) Ivankovics, a recent resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, died on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010, at 10:14 a.m., with her children by her side at "Hospice of the Valley Lund Home Healthcare Center" in Gilbert, Arizona, from an extended illness. She was 84. Irene was born to the late Steve and Rose Hupka in South Bend, Indiana, on October 14, 1925, and had lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the last five years with her second husband, Steven G. Ivankovics, also from South Bend, who she had known since childhood.

Along with being a member of the Catholic Church, Irene was a member of the Altar-Rosary Society and was an auxiliary member of the Knights of Columbus. She graduated from Riley High School in South Bend in 1943 and later continued her education at Indiana University at South Bend.

She had been previously married to Arthur W. Goulet, also of South Bend, since June 12, 1947, until he passed away in January 1981. Then, several years later, in November 1988 (more than 40-plus years after first meeting as young kids), Irene Goulet and Steven Ivankovics met again, accidentally becoming reacquainted at the funeral of a mutual friend. From there they wasted little time and surprised everyone by eloping to Las Vegas in February 1989. Upon their return to South Bend, they exchanged marriage vows at Holy Cross Catholic Church on North Kaley Street.

Later that same year, Irene and Steven (or "Pete" as she liked to call him) honeymooned in Budapest, Hungary, and for the first time visited many other European cities, too, having the chance to discover long-lost relatives they had never known before. Irene was an amazing Mom who loved her children immensely and took great pride in each and everyone of their accomplishments. She had a wonderful smile that could light up a room, a happy, kind and contagious nature about her, and always reminded her family: "If you believe, you can accomplish anything."

Beyond her children's lives, Irene had many other varied interests. Chief among them though were reading a good book, watching a classic movie or television sitcom, playing the "Penny Slots" in Las Vegas and, most of all, ice cream after dinner with Pete.

Irene is survived by older brother, Steve (and wife, Jean) Hupka of Nashville, TN; younger brother, Hank Hudson of Deerfield Beach, FL; and oldest brother, Bill Hupka (deceased on 10/21/1992), and sister-in-law, Isabelle (also deceased), of South Bend. Irene is also survived by her daughter, Maureen (and Robert) Billings of Rock Hill, SC; and her four sons, David Goulet of Glendale, AZ, Arthur Goulet of South Bend, IN, James (and Rhonda) Goulet of Fort Walton Beach, FL, and Kevin (and Christine) Goulet of Valencia, CA. Her six grandchildren include Shannon Goulet of Clover, SC, Adam Goulet of Fort Walton Beach, FL, Alex (and Brigette) Goulet and Alyson (and Jorge) Morón of Port Saint Lucie, FL, Madison Goulet and Lukas Goulet of Valencia, CA; and two great-grandchildren, Adiana and Micaela Goulet, also of Florida.

Upon her marriage to Pete, Irene lovingly embraced the new members of her family who included Tina (and Patrick) McGinnity of Queen Creek, AZ, Diane (and Stephen) McNeil of Middletown, IN, Gail (deceased, 09/04) and Dennis Myers of Mishawaka, IN; four more grandchildren, Audra (and Chris) Dittlinger, Paul Ivan McNeil, Alisa (and Scott) Haigh, Alaina (Joel) VanVynckt; and three more great-grandchildren, Sarah and Tyler Haigh, and Ava VanVynckt.

Until their recent battles with separate illnesses, Irene and Pete had never spent a day apart during their 21 years of marriage. Sadly, Pete died only three days before Irene on Sunday, August 29th, 2010, at the age of 89 after a three-month illness.

A private family viewing for Irene was held at the Bueler Mortuary and Chapel in Chandler, AZ, on Friday, September 3, 2010. Memorial contributions in Irene's name may be made to Hospice of the Valley Lund Home Fund Development, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014, Phone: (602) 530-6992, Email: FundDevelopment@hov.org; or to The Multiple Myeloma Foundation Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), 383 Main Avenue, 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851, Phone: (203) 229-0464, Email: info@themmrf.org.

Published by South Bend Tribune on Sep. 12, 2010.

07/04/2023 EJS

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