Brunswick-Irene Rommel Heymann, who lived in Thornton Oaks Retirement Community with her husband Frank, died on January 6, 2011 at Mid Coast Hospital, after a sudden illness. She was 83.

Irene was born in Philadelphia in 1927, and graduated from Girls’ High School with a scholarship to Temple University, making her the first in her extended family to go to college, where she majored in chemistry and minored in English. Chemistry provided her with professional opportunities, but English was always a love and she later wrote poems and many stories for her grandchildren.

She worked first at Temple Hospital Medical School, then Applied Science Lab in State College, PA, while her first husband, Brendan Sharkey, went to school there, and after her divorce she worked for Allied Chemical Corp. in Marcus Hook, PA. She went back to school at age 45 to get a Teaching Certificate at the University of Delaware, and worked as a very effective substitute teacher in high schools, and finally as chemistry instructor in the dental health program at Delaware Community and Technical College in Wilmington, DE, a job she loved as she had to develop her own courses.

She had married again in 1969, to Frank Heymann, who adopted the three children from her first marriage. They lived in the unique ‘village’ of Arden, DE, until relocation of Frank’s company forced them to move to Florida in 1983. Serious brain surgery in 1985 prevented Irene from working professionally again, but she had a zest for life and did as much as she could despite physical and neurological deficits. She and Frank did much traveling in this country and Europe, especially after Frank retired in 1990. In 2001 they moved from Florida to Brunswick, Maine to live in Thornton Oaks, where Irene founded a ‘Writers’ Group’ among other activities.

She is survived by her husband, Frank Heymann of Brunswick, ME; daughter Leslie Sharkey, son-in-law Jeff Knaack and grandson Jeffrey Knaack – all of Castleton, NY; granddaughter Laurie Knaack and her husband Zachary Goldstein of Silver Spring, MD; sister-in-law Ann Rommel of Chatham, NY, nephew Gage Rommel and his family of Chatham NY, niece Gennifer Westover and her family of Ghent, NY; sister-in law Ruth Bean of Arden, DE and her husband Samuel Louis Bean; niece Elizabeth Bean and her son Jamie of Arden, DE, nephew David Bean and his family in Bethel, ME, nephew Jonathan Bean, MD, and his family in Needham, MA; and three cousins – Emma Rommel, Mildred Rommel and Rose Rommel, all of Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Irene’s ashes will be interred in the Arden, DE, Memorial Garden at a family gathering some time in early Spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chemical Heritage Foundation of Philadelphia, PA (www.chemheritage.org), or the National Mole Day Foundation (www.moleday.org), of which she was a charter member.

Arrangements are under the care of Kincer Funeral Home 130 Pleasant St. Richmond, Me 04357.