Irene Zitter

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Irene Zitter (Zwir) in the early morning hours of Friday, December 19, 2025. She passed in her Philadelphia home of nearly 50 years, with her husband, Carl M. Zitter, by her side. Irene had just celebrated her 78th birthday on December 12.

Like many of her Ukrainian-American generation, Irene was born in a post-WWII Displaced Persons camp in Erlangen, Germany, and emigrated to the United States via Ellis Island in 1951 with her parents, Eugenia (Derech) and Petro Zwir, and her twin sister, Slava. Despite hardships around adjusting to a new country where the ways of life and language were foreign, Irene often recalled memories with beautiful imagery and highly descriptive, captivating, almost melodic delivery in her storytelling: the fresh snow crunching under her feet as she walked along Marshall Street in Logan on a joyous Christmas Eve spent with friends and family, every detail of her clothing with uncanny precision and sing-song cadence of the Peter Pan collars and wool gabardine suits she wore to Girls High School, and the energy and excitement felt at riding the boardwalk rides with the fresh night ocean air hitting her youthful face during her Wildwood Crest, NJ waitressing days.

After graduating from Philadelphia High School for Girls, Irene briefly attended art school, nurturing a lifelong love of drawing and illustration, particularly children’s books. She ultimately pursued a nearly 50-year career in insurance, proudly serving both international and small brokerages before finishing her career at Philadelphia Gas Works, where she is fondly remembered as an “office favorite” and a cherished colleague of over 15 years.

Irene met Carl on a blind date during a January blizzard in 1968. Carl reported when Irene opened the door, he was in awe of her beauty and struck at how he just knew he had met his future wife. After attending the Philadelphia Engineer Society Ukrainian Ball, they dated for almost two years and married on August 30, 1969. Their next 14 years were highlighted by many joyous parties (Irene loved to entertain), couples tennis, trips to Soyuzivka and Wildwood Crest with friends, and Friday date nights after a long work week downtown at their beloved The Brass Rail in Center City Philly.

Their daughter Natalie was born in 1983, and Irene leaned into the mother role with every fiber of her being. Encouraging and supportive doesn't do Irene justice as a mom, and her unyielding love and kindness highlighted her mothering style. She introduced Natalie to her passions with zeal and enthusiasm: fine arts, impressionist painters, cinema (particularly french new wave, 50s & 60s “teen flicks”, and anything Audrey Hepburn/Cary Grant), music, fashion, astrology, biographies, and cuisine. 

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia in 2019, Irene refused to let illness define her. Picking up boxing classes and continuing to practice her beloved drawing as long as she could, Irene was a true spitfire with a zeal for life very rarely matched. Her sense of humor and unparalleled wit was noted and enjoyed by many, coupled with elegance and genuine kind spirit, stellar fashion sense, and deep appreciation of music (particularly Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Barbara Streisand, musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar and West Side Story, and anything she deemed "danceable" like Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”, Van McCoy’s “The Hustle”, and more recently, Tame Impala). 

Irene is survived by her husband of 56 years, Carl M. Zitter; her beloved daughter, Natalie Zitter; her twin sister and lifelong best friend, Slava Lipowicz (Mark); nephews David Lipowicz (Rose Garr, children Leah & Eli) and Paul Lipowicz (Lauren Hersh, children Reese & Sydney); and her cherished cat, Professor Oliver “Ollie” Zitter. Vichnaya Pamyat! 

Relatives and friends are invited to Irene’s Celebration of Life on Sunday, January 11th from 11am-1pm at Fletcher Nasevich Funeral Home, 9529 Bustleton Avenue, Phila., PA 19115. In lieu of flowers, the family asks a donation be made in her animal-loving honor to PAWS Philadelphia.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Irene Zitter, please visit our floral store.