Mrs. Irene S. Rusinowski Tunia died peacefully in Vista, California on March 17, 2016 at the age of ninety-two.
Irene is survived by her children, Glenn Tunia (Vista, CA), Mary Christian (Oceanside, CA) and Matthew Tunia (Burbank, CA) and her sister, Sylvia Trudeau (Dearborn, MI). She is preceded in death by her daughter Adele Rottsolk and sons John and David Tunia.
Irene Rusinowski was born on March 14, 1924 in Detroit, MI to Mary and Peter Rusinowski. She graduated from Chadsey High School in 1942 and attended college at the University of Michigan. She married Albin H. Tunia in 1950 and settled in Detroit. The couple welcomed their first child Adele in 1951, followed by the births of Glenn (1953), Mary (1955), twins John & David (1957) and Matthew (1961). Irene and her family also lived in Lionville, PA briefly in the 1960’s. She and her family then moved back to Michigan and lived in both Detroit and Dearborn before moving to California in 1973. After moving to Oceanside, Irene began working as an accountant for the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad. After her time there, she started work with the Oceanside Unified School District office until she retired.
Irene was very loving and family oriented. She loved children and enjoyed spending time with her Grand and Great Grandchildren. She was an avid reader who enjoyed everything from a Jane Austen romance, westerns by Louis L’Amour to mysteries by Agatha Christie and Anne Perry. Movies and classic television shows were something she always watched. Some of her favorite movies were “You Can’t Take It With You”, “The Bishop’s Wife”, “Meet Me In St. Louis” and anything with Deanna Durbin. TV shows she enjoyed were “The Virginian”, “Ironside”, “The Rifleman” and “Gunsmoke”. Card playing was in her blood and she was adept at various versions of solitaire, bridge, canasta and hand & foot. Word games and crosswords were also something she loved to do. Stamp collecting was one of her favorite hobbies and she also loved to paint and even took classes with her sister Sylvia. A jigsaw puzzle was almost constantly being put together on the dining room table or a card table in the living room. She was a tomboy as a child and enjoyed sports. Baseball was her favorite and she was an avid San Diego Padres fan. She was an excellent bowler and played on a league for many years. She also enjoyed cooking and baking. She was an animal lover and supported the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. She volunteered at Tri City Hospital, the Oceanside Public Library and the Oceanside Visitors Center. St. Mary’s Star of the Sea was her church the entire time she lived in Oceanside.
A funeral is scheduled for Friday, April 8, 2016 at 1:00 PM at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea church at 609 Pier View Way, Oceanside, CA 92054. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Irene’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and The Braille Institute.