Mrs. Irene B. Hudson was born on July 3, 1940, to the late Mrs. Lizzie Mae Blackwell and Mr. George Eddie Jones in Tignall (Wilkes County), GA. There are two very special people who had a major influence in Irene’s life. As a young child, Irene moved to New York to live with her aunt, Jewel Ruth Ebenezer. While her was working, Eva Mae Brown cared for Irene as if she was her child. For these reasons, we are reminded that we are from great women who deserve praise and recognition for their efforts to insure we developed into loving and kind individuals. In 1958 after graduating from high school, Irene was employed as a secretary by Blue Cross in New York City. In 1964, she was hired by IBM as a secretary in Poughkeepsie, New York. She worked as a secretary until 1979 always with excellent ratings. While working fulltime, she enrolled in Mercy College to study psychology. In 1978, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Suma Cum Laude). Although she had earned a degree, she was continuously passed over for promotion to a professional category. While working as a secretary for a director, three secretaries, each with seven years in the company and working for lower-level managers were promoted to professional level jobs. In July 1977, Irene filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charging that IBM discriminated against her because of race. In June 1978, after investigating the charge, the EEOC ruled that the evidence indicated that IBM’s failure to promote Irene was discriminatively motivated. In response to this ruling, IBM promoted Irene to professional level positions for the rest of her career in the company. The positions required her to travel extensively in the United States, Europe, and Japan, which she enjoyed tremendously. She retired from IBM and made her home in Waycross, GA. Early Thursday morning, March 24, 2022, God called her from her earthly home to her heavenly home after an illness. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two siblings, Lizzie Beth Ponder and Willis Edgar Moss. She leaves to cherish her memory, in particular, her husband, Richard Hudson and son, Jeffery Allen Hudson; Irene is from a large and loving family, her sisters, Mary Terry, Lois McCarthy, Earnestine Williams, Margie Talley and Delores Smith; two brothers, George Eddie and David Jones; and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nephews, great-nieces and cousins. Special friends that must be recognized and acknowledged are Delores Hudson of Los Angeles, beryl Weaver of Yonkers, NY, and Wanda Hamlett-Harris of Rye, NY; since moving to Waycross, GA she has developed friendships with many in the local community, among the many, Brenda and Callaus Taylor and Ramona Battle deserve special thanks from the family.
A celebration of life service will be held Saturday April 2, 2022, at Mason Temple Church of God in Christ 800 Daniel Street, Waycross, Ga. where Elder James Pharmes is pastor and her niece, Pastor Janice White Thomas, bring words of comfort.
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