Former McHenry County Right to Life president dies at 99

Longtime Crystal Lake resident Irene Napier, who made her mark in the community by being a force in anti-abortion efforts, has died at the age of 99.

Napier died July 17, about a month short of her 100th birthday, according to her obituary. One of her biggest milestones was serving as the president of Right to Life McHenry County. She was a powerhouse in local politics, with a drive to protect children’s rights and oppose abortion, her son Jimmy Napier said.

“Irene’s smile – a beacon of joy – remained undimmed even in life’s darkest moments, and was as persuasive a tool to disarm the powerful as to comfort the needy," her obituary reads.

In 2014, Randy Hultgren, then a Congressman from Illinois, gave a speech on the House floor recognizing Napier’s anti-abortion efforts.

“This Crystal Lake resident has dedicated her life to defending the unborn,” Hultgren said in his speech. “Now President Emeritus of the Right to Life of McHenry County, through the years Irene has stood up for the truth that every child should be given a chance to be loved and wanted.”

Napier dedicated her life to children and taught kindergarten for decades in Cary School District 26, mostly at the Oak Knoll preschool, her daughter Peggy Napier said.

“She was very devoted to children,” Jimmy Napier said. “Her whole life was children.”

Throughout her life, Irene Napier received “dozens” of awards and accolades for her anti-abortion efforts, her son said.

She was also widely known in Crystal Lake for hosting annual summer pig roasts on her Valley View Farm property. Her daughter said she remembers the house feeling like “Grand Central Station” because of the revolving door of politicians who constantly visited.

“She’s very well-loved by the community,” Peggy Napier said. “Crystal Lake needs to know that my mom is gone.”

Irene Napier believed in “quiet sharing,” where she was always a helping hand to neighbors in need, covering medical and food costs, her son said.

She had a tough start to life, being orphaned at the age of 2, Peggy Napier said. In high school, Irene Napier was honored with the titles homecoming queen and valedictorian.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James, daughter Madeline, grandson James and son Walter Bruce, who died at 15 in a car crash in 1970, according to the obituary and Crystal Lake Herald news clippings. She is survived by sons Jimmy and Robert and daughter Peggy, as well as five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

“Irene M. Napier lived with purpose, loved with abandon and faced every challenge with a smile,” her obituary reads. “Her life was a masterpiece of service, courage, faith, and joy.”

A celebration of life will be start with a visitation at 9 a.m. and funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 28, at St. Anne Catholic Church in Barrington, according to Napier’s obituary. In lieu of flowers, the family requests remembrances be shared with Aid For Women in Chicago or Marmion Abbey in Aurora.