Irene Bromley Cruickshank

Irene Bromley Cruickshank, 87, of Kingstown Road, Kingston and of New London, NH died Sunday. She was the wife of Alexander M. Cruickshank and they were married 64 years. Born in Westerly, she was a daughter of the late Hollis T. and Alice (Tetlow) Bromley. She grew up in Bradford and attended the Bradford Elementary School, the Westerly Junior High School and graduated from Westerly High School in 1939. Mrs. Cruickshank was employed at Bradford Dye Association as a Secretary of the Payroll Office from 1939 to 1943. She then became the Administrative Secretary for the Chemistry Department at the University of Rhode Island from 1943 – 1953. In 1947 she also became the Adminstrative Secretary and Treasurer for the Director of the Gordon Research Conferences, Inc., travelling extensively as an operations manager, throughout the New Hampshire operations for scientific research meetings on the frontiers of science. In 1953, following her retirement from the Gordon Research Conferences, she became a homemaker and received her Business Degree from URI in 1972. She then was an instructor at Oceanstate Business School for a number of years, while maintaining a family. In her younger years, growing up in Westerly, she was a girl scout and a member of Christ Church. Later she was a supervisor for Sunday School at the Kingston Congregational Church, a Girl Scout Brownie Leader in Kingston, she did volunteer work for Children’s Friend Service, and she is a former member of the Kingston Grange. Mrs. Cruickshank enjoyed travelling throughout New England, and had also travelled abroad to England Scotland, Hawaii, and for a number of years, lived in Kingston and New London, NH. She enjoyed the Barn players, a summer theater in New London, NH, she was an avid reader and loved to cook, sew and garden. Besides her husband she leaves a daughter and son–in- law, Elaine and Gerard O’Neill of Kingston, a son Gary Cruickshank of Wakefield, four grandchildren, Brendan and Sean O'Neill, Bonnie and Sandra Cruickshank, and a large extended family of cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as and many friends. She was predeceased by a daughter- in- law, Valerie Browning Cruickshank and a brother and sister- in- law, Robert T. and Doris Bromley. A Requiem Eucharist will be at 11 AM Saturday in Christ Episcopal Church, 7 Elm Street, Westerly. Burial will follow in River Bend Cemetery, Westerly. Visiting hours are respectfully omitted. Family kindly requests to omit flowers and make memorial donations to the Animal Rescue League of Southern RI, PO Box 458, Wakefield, RI 02880.