Irene Cheshire Reasons

Irene Cheshire Reasons
Hartwell, GA

Irene Cheshire Reasons, 85, died in The Rainey Hospice House of the Upstate in Anderson, South Carolina on Sunday, October 4, 2015 after an extended illness. She was born in Liverpool, England in 1929 to the late James Cheshire and Frances May Irene Newsham Cheshire. She is survived by her son Floyd Steven Reasons of Horn Lakes, MS and two sisters, Gwendolyn Daley of Cheshire, England and June Lenore Ivery of Memphis, TN.

Her husband C. W. "Chuck" Reasons predeceased Irene. They were married in England where their son, Floyd, was born; Irene and Floyd immigrated to the United States in 1951. Chuck and Irene retired to Hartwell, GA after living in many locations around the world. Chuck was a retired Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force, and continued his distinguished career after his military service, eventually retiring as Commercial Systems Director for Eastern Airlines.

When war broke out in 1939, Irene, like other children of the era who lived in large cities, was sent away for five years to the countryside where she lived in various foster situations and worked as a seamstress and on several farms to do a child's part of supporting the war effort. Her father was in the Royal Navy, and her mother was a merchant and civilian volunteer, so the entire family worked diligently to secure a peaceful future for the modern world.

Irene won an academic scholarship to The Priory School for Girls in Shrewsbury, England, and after the war, she transferred to the Liverpool College for Girls where she received a traditional education befitting a proper English lady.

Irene became a highly respected figure in the world of purebred dogs. Her homebred Lakshmi Pekingese are known internationally for their excellent breed type. Their descendants will carry on a legacy of quality, which Irene worked tirelessly to achieve. In 1998, after a lifetime of breeding many top winning Pekingese champions, her homebred Ch. Lakshmi Valentino of Jo-Li, affectionately known as "Rudy," became The Toy Group Show Dog of the Year winner, crowning his illustrious show career by winning the Toy Group at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show and capturing the Pedigree Top Toy Dog of the Year Award. "Rudy" was owned during his campaign by the Budweiser heiress, Hope Hadley-Burkhardt and her husband Paul and was presented to meticulous perfection by David Fitzpatrick.

Irene adored dogs since childhood and found her greatest pleasure in her beloved Pekingese. She will be remembered as an honest breeder who was generous to help new people who showed serious interest and the unwavering dedication required to be successful in her labor-intensive breed. Irene loved her parent club, The Pekingese Club of America, of which she was a continuous member since the mid 1960's, except for a brief time when they were living abroad, and she allowed her membership to lapse. Before her death, Irene expressed her continuing hope that the members of the national club could learn from the mistakes of the past which have previously most nearly consumed the club and work together to put the future interests of the breed over selfish personal ambitions. Irene served as a former officer of the Pekingese Club of America, having held both the offices of president and secretary. Irene gave freely of her time and energy in an effort to bring reform and fairness to her beloved parent club. She led the club during some very difficult and trying times with strength of character befitting her proper English heritage and the wisdom of her steely constitution and frugality. In the days before her death, Irene said she had never before realized how many friends she had in Pekingese and the greater world of purebred dogs at large, and she regretted that she could not get along with a few people in the parent club who did not share her insistence on personal integrity and seemed unwilling to set their past differences aside in order to move forward in the best interest of the breed. Irene only wished for PCA to remain steadfastly focused on its mission to preserve the accomplishments of past breeders, continue their important work, and thus assure a solid future for our beloved and beautiful Pekingese in a rapidly changing world.

After retiring to Georgia, Irene and Chuck became dedicated members of The Pekingese Club of Georgia. Irene served the club in many capacities as a board member and president. Chuck was the club treasurer and helped to secure the financial stability the club enjoys today. Together with Leslie Dees, who they both adored, they made the club a focus of their lives for many years. Irene was overjoyed when The Pekingese Club of Georgia recently honored her with a life membership.

Irene was also a master quilter. She enjoyed restoring antique quilts and designing beautiful new ones. She was active in the Lap Sitters Quilt Guild, where she made many friends and did considerable work to aid charity causes such as raising money for infants born infected with HIV and infants born into addiction. She gave quilts to many of her closest friends, and they will serve as precious memories of her dynamic personality and diverse artistic talents.

Memorials may be made to The Rainey Hospice House, Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Rd., Anderson, SC 29621.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or at Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central, SC.