Mrs. Jetti Irwin Fahle and Dr. Billy Wayne Irwin

Bernice Evelyn (Ellis) Irwin was born in Hornbeck, La. on July 1, 1924. She grew up in a close, loving family. As a young child, she was affectionately called “Tibby” by her siblings, which later in life became the name referred to her by her grandchildren and those close to her. Her family moved to Selman City, in 1937, just months after the tragic explosion of the New London School on March 18, 1937. Two years later, her family moved to New London where she spent the rest of her childhood.
She graduated from New London High School on May 29, 1941, at 16 years of age. After her 18th birthday, she left New London to pursue her passion and attended Scott and White School of Nursing in Temple. While attending Scott and White, she witnessed the first penicillin drug introduced to that hospital; however, at that time, nurses were not allowed to administer the drug. She graduated from Scott and White as a Registered Nurse on May 14, 1945.
Soon after graduation she moved back to East Texas where she me the love of her life, Billy Joe Irwin. They were married on December 11, 1945. Until Billy Joe’s death on January 17, 1984, they lived in Laneville. Billy Joe and Bernice enjoyed many exciting years as members of Sharon Temple Shrine Club, where Billy Joe was a member of the Mini Patrol and served on the Divan. She was a member of the Daughters of the Nile of Sharon Temple.
Bernice, often called “Bea” by her colleagues, worked at Henderson Memorial Hospital for many years. In 1962, she became director of the Henderson Memorial Hospital Vocational Nursing School where she taught for 22 years. After retiring from the hospital, her next venture was with Visiting Nurses of East Texas (a Home Health Care Agency) where she became Regional Director in 1986.
In 1989, Bernice moved to Henderson where she joined Trinity Baptist Church. The Grace Sunday School Class was a big part of her life where she made and cherished many friendships.
Along with the love of nursing and taking care of family, Tibby absolutely loved cooking and eating good food. One of her favorite pastimes was reading cookbooks and finding new recipes. She was best known for baking pralines, apple pies and cakes. Making special desserts, birthday cakes, or pies for the special people in her life brought her extreme happiness and joy. After retiring from nursing, she pursued her passion for cooking by entering numerous recipe contests. Tibby won first prize in Prevention Magazine’s Healthy Recipe Contest with her entry of “Apple Yogurt Surprise” in 1995. Her legacy of cooking will live on through her four grandchildren (who all LOVE to cook) and through all those many friends with whom she shared her favorite recipes.