Irene M. Sarver's Obituary
Irene M. Sarver, dedicated Jewish communal and civic leader, loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, died peacefully in Tucson, Arizona on Monday, July 6, 2015. She was 95.
Mrs. Sarver was wholeheartedly committed to the enduring belief that we are all our brothers’ keepers. She served on the boards, and was a member of, countless organizations, including Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Hadassah, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, Congregation Anshei Israel, and Temple Emanu-El; the Brewster Center for Victims of Family Violence, was on the first board of the University of Arizona Cancer Center. She was also a founding member of The Desert Caucus with her late husband, Jack Sarver.
Mrs. Sarver was born to Beatrice Barnett and Samuel M. Magidsohn on March 23, 1920 in Flint, Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan and Michigan State Normal School, where she earned a degree in early elementary education. Mrs. Sarver taught reading in the Flint public school system and religious school at her local synagogue, Temple Beth El. She also ran Flint’s USO offices during World War II. Mrs. Sarver and her beloved husband of thirty-two years, the late Jack J. Sarver, met on a blind date in 1948 and were married on January 11th of the same year.
When Mrs. Sarver and Mr. Sarver moved to Tucson in 1960, they instantly became known as two of the most involved participants in the Jewish community and in that of Southern Arizona. Together they built the Aztec Inn, Howard Johnson, and the Plaza International Hotel. Yet bound by their love for each other, for their family, and for their heritage and tradition, their first priority always was to building a better community and a just world.
When Mr. Sarver died in 1980, Mrs. Sarver continued working to make her and her husband’s shared vision a reality not only through her own commitment to service, but by encouraging everyone to find their unique way to be part of the community’s future for the sake of their children, their children’s children, and for generations to come.
Mrs. Sarver is survived by her children, Betty Anne, Ellen (David), and Robert (Penny). She was preceded in death by her son, Gary, in 1952. Mrs. Sarver is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Jennifer, Stephanie, Sarah (Sol Shaftal), Jack, Max, Jake, and Zach; her great-grandchildren Cole and Aviva, and her brother, Jack Magidsohn.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday July 8,th, 10:00 AM at Temple Emanu-El of Tucson, 225 N. Country Club Road. Graveside service to follow at Evergeen Cemetery.
The family requests that any contributions in Mrs. Sarver’s memory be made to the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Jack J. & Gary I. Sarver Counseling Center and the Sarver Heart Center.
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