Irene C. (Gately) Craven

Of Melrose, formerly a longtime resident of Malden. Passed away in her home on Thursday, October 19, 2023. Irene was born in Malden in 1934, the daughter of the late Martin and Grace Gately. She was raised and educated in Malden, graduating from Girls Catholic High School with the Class of 1952.  After high school, she began working at the First National Bank of Malden. In 1957, she married her sweetheart, Robert A. Craven (retired Malden Firefighter) with whom she shared 58 years together until his passing in 2015. They settled down in Malden to raise their family, and at that time Irene stopped working outside the home to dedicate herself to raising their children.  She later took secretarial positions with New England Trucking and Pullman Vacuum before taking a position with the traffic division of the Malden Police Department. She worked for the City of Malden for over 10 years until her retirement. Outside of work, Irene was a member of the St. Josephs Mother’s Club, and the Junior Aide Society of Malden.

She is survived by her children, Michael Craven (retired Medford Firefighter) and his wife Gloria of North Ft. Myers, FL, Stephen Craven (retired Malden Firefighter) and his wife Donna of Peabody, and Denise Leonard of N. Reading; her grandchildren, J-M Craven, Daniel Craven, Nicole Colby, Jessica Tringale, and Sean Craven, and her great grandchildren, Luke Colby, Brooklyn Colby, Ariana Tringale, Dante Tringale, Madison Craven, Lennon Craven, and Oliver Craven; her sister Jane Gagne of N Reading and many other beloved family members. In addition to her husband Robert, Irene was preceded in death by her siblings Leo Gately, Dorothy Ruelle and Elizabeth Stepasiuk, and her son in-law, Gregory Leonard.

Funeral services were held from the Weir – MacCuish Golden Rule Funeral Home, Malden on Monday, Oct 23rd, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Joseph’s Church, Malden. Interment followed in Forest Dale Cemetery, Malden. In lieu of flowers, donations in Irene’s memory may be made to the Malden Firefighters Relief Association, 1 Sprague St, Malden MA 02148 or the Bread of Life, 214 Commercial St, Ste 209, Malden, MA 02148.