by Chris Munzing
Whether it was fighting for the rights of her community, participating in city government or knitting a baby blanket for a neighbor's newborn, Mrs. Ficke was someone whom everyone could count on.
Known to many as "Aunt Irene," Mrs. Ficke died on Sept. 5, at age 66, at Long Beach Medical Center, following a short illness.
"She was a very giving, loving person," said her husband, Edward. "She was always there when you needed her. She would try to make Long Beach a better place."
Mrs. Ficke's dedication to her community was felt by everyone. Friend and colleague, Mark Jackson, served with Ficke as a member of the Citizens Action Committee, and later as a charter member of the political entity "We The People." Jackson called her "extraordinary," citing her commitment to making the lives of the people of Long Beach better.
"Irene touched the lives of each of us," he said, "by her broad-hearted generosity and genuine caring for people; by her genetically positive can-do attitude, and by her sincere commitment to make Long Beach ... a better place in which to live."
Mrs. Ficke's can-do attitude led her to help senior citizens who could not shop for food by doing it for them. According to her daughter, Irene Moser, nobody could stretch a dollar like Aunt Irene. "She was such a good coupon shopper," Moser laughed. "Waldbaum's owed her money."
Mrs. Ficke had many talents, like cooking and influencing lives. But chief among her skills was the ability to crochet or sew anything from a blanket to a sweater to holiday decorations. Her crafts won her citations from National Hand-Crochet Magazine.
"She just loved to crochet," her husband said. "She'd donate them to the churches or charitable organizations." Edward said there was probably not a civic organization, religious institution, charity or family member that didn't have at least one work by Mrs. Ficke.
She was called a "pit bull" and a "warrior" when it came to improving the quality of life in her community. Her crusade against leaf-blowers led to a law banning them in the city. While enforcement of the ban may be scant, Mrs. Ficke's commitment to her neighbors has always been evident, and made her all the more important to Long Beach.
"Our world was a better place while Irene was a part of it," said Jackson. "The world today certainly needs Irene."
A wake was held at Macken Mortuary in Island Park, and a funeral ceremony at St. Ignatius in Long Beach, followed by a private cremation. Mrs. Ficke was buried at Calverton National Cemetery in Farmingdale.
Along with her husband, she is survived by a sister, Margaret Whelan, a son, Dr. Henry Ficke, and two daughters, Moser and Jean-Marie Neptune.
