Irene Ohlin 1939-2025

This is a story of a life well-loved.

Irene Ohlin was born on May 31, 1939, the youngest of three children born to Sam and Annie Merlino in Bessemer, Pa.

Known as Renie, she married her love, Ronald “Ronnie” Ohlin, on Jan. 6, 1962.

Renie worked as a secretary for most of her adult life, starting out at Bessemer High School right after graduation and ending her career at Springfield Local High School, retiring right before her 80th birthday. She could have retired years and years before, but there was always one more grandkid coming up whom she wanted to see through to graduation.

She reveled in the delight of them coming into her office for a quick hello, pain relievers or lunch money and became the unofficial “Mimi” to tons of kids who were of no blood relation. Because she was a single parent and times were sometimes tight, Rene had some side hustles to help make ends meet. She was a master storyteller and would give amazing book reviews to all kinds of groups.

As children, we loved listening to her perfect the delivery of Erma Bombeck, Charlotte’s Web or Jonathan Livingston Seagull. She had the ability to make an audience laugh out loud one minute and quietly weep the next. She delighted us with a telling of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at our church Sunday School picnic last summer and it’s a memory we will cherish forever.

Another talent was baking. She was famous for her cookies — mostly clothespin, wafer and wedding. Hers were hands down the best cookies you’ve ever had, and children, grandchildren and great-children will fight anyone who thinks otherwise. She would sell them on the side for holidays and weddings.

One year she took orders for the Christmas season and made over 800 dozen. By herself. All while working a full-time job. After that, she promised the Lord that if He let her live through that, she would cut the orders off at a reasonable amount in the future. He did. She did, too, but sometimes we had to remind her of that promise. Renie loved to entertain.

After her Ronnie passed away, she was nervous that the holidays were going to be a bit lonely so she started hosting a Christmas Eve open house. It grew and grew until we were packing more than 80 people into our modest ranch house. Everyone was welcome. She would make a huge pot of wedding soup, add some appetizers and the fun would go on until the early morning hours. We would wake up on Christmas morning to Santa’s arrival with little to no evidence of the previous night’s mess. She was a marvel.

Friday nights were for pizza — homemade until last summer when we convinced her it would be OK to order from Belleria. Sunday afternoons were for spaghetti and meatballs — homemade until a few months ago. And summer days were for the pool, a hot cup of coffee and chocolate chip cookies. Hers was a house packed with love, loud voices and laughter.

Renie was an avid reader, equally loving a great Stephen King book as well as her Bible and daily devotional. Life is a balance and she knew it! She loved a good slasher or horror film and would occasionally forget that little kids were coming over, causing endless frustration for parents trying to shield their kids from scary scenes. She remained unimpressed and nonchalant about this worry until the very end. The kids forgave her.

Renie was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Cleveland Indians. When one grandson showed up at the hospital wearing a Cleveland Browns shirt, Renie took the opportunity to tease and talk smack. Her sense of humor remained until the very last breath.

One of her favorite memories was when her and Ronnie got to see a Notre Dame game in South Bend — we’ll light a candle at the Grotto the next time we’re there.

Her family was her everything. She leaves a huge group and since each and every one of them loved her as much as she loved them, we’re going to list them all. Her memory will be cherished and we will work for the rest of our days to continue the legacy of love and acceptance that she modeled for all of us.

She leaves her children, Kaira (Don) Evans, Ronald (MaryJo) Ohlin, Sharon (Wade) Casto and Erin (Jim) Groner; her grandchildren, Emily (Drew), Matthew (Breanne), Kristin (Ryan), Joey (Emily), Jacob (Audrey), Anna (Luke), Elizabeth (Chris), Alyssa (TJ), Jane (Anthony), Madison, Mackenzie, Grace (Pat) and Aaron James; her great-grandchildren, Luca, Liam, Colten, Hayley, Riley, Ally, Spencer, Gannon, Easton, Mason, Harper, Brady, Sammy and Lilia; her siblings, Lundy Morehouse and Roy (Nona) Merlino; and her husband’s siblings, Marian Ohlin and John Ohlin.

Renie was welcomed into Heaven by her husband, Ronnie; her mom, Annie; her dad, Sam; and so many others who were waiting eagerly to visit with her with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Renie lived a life spent loving others. She was a spicy Italian girl who did not hold back on either her love or her opinions. As she told a sweet nurse who was caring for her this week, “I needed to be spicy so I could get through all of the stuff I needed to get through!” She was one in a million.

Calling hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at Terry Cunningham Funeral Home in Bessemer, Pa.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, July 3, at First Covenant Church – the little church on the corner where she attended from the time she was small and where she found comfort and joy with the people she loved and who loved her – with Pastor John Magargee officiating.

Online condolences can be given at keystonefuneralservices.com.

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