Irene Moritz
Irene Moritz, 85, of Ridgefield, wife of Peter E. Moritz, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, at Danbury Hospital.
Irene was born in Paris, France, on December 2, 1934, daughter of Marcel and Hilde (Philipsborn) Le Gac. She attended schools in France and in 1956 emigrated to the United States, first settling in Elmira, NY.
A Ridgefield resident since 1978, she worked at Hunters Antique Consignment Shop and Trendsetters. She was a member of Founders Hall, once drove carriage horses, and enjoyed gardening. A loving, effervescent French woman, Irene grew up in war-torn France and thanks to her mother was able to survive the holocaust, often on the run and hidden from the Nazis on country farms. She worked as a hat model, singer, and translator in Paris after the war. She saw Josephine Baker dance and Louis Armstrong sing.
Irene married Peter in 1957 in Elmira. A French Jew marrying a Catholic German, an unlikely but potent combination. She loved dancing and singing, was passionate about social issues, and voting and followed the news voraciously. A bubbly person, a people person, with a thick, charming French accent, Irene was known for her leopard prints and was always ready to tell a long story from those war years that defined her.
In addition to her loving husband of 63 years, Mrs. Moritz is survived by a daughter Beatrice; a son Patrick and three grandchildren, Alison, Andy, and Antinea. Donations in her name can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
R