JOHN COFFELTEditor

Before her recent death, volunteer Irene Ison made her rounds for years local to secure vendors for Potter’s Clay Health Fair, a St. Mark’s Catholic Church outreach program offered free to the public.

Even as Ison’s health declined she was always an advocate for Potter’s Clay, an outreach program for the elderly and shut-ins, was held at St. Mark Catholic Church. It has now expanded to fill much of the Ada Wright Center.

“I’ve been associated with Potters Clay since I joined the church,” Dr. Al Brandon, a longtime volunteer at the health fair said in 2018.

“Irene has, ever since I’ve been with the health fair, been the workhorse. She’s the one that sets everything up and gets everything organized and in place,” he said, noting that Ison organizes the event while essentially confined to a wheelchair.

“She keeps working at the same pace, it’s absolutely incredible,” he said. “She’s the glue that keeps everything in place.

Before the pandemic, she worked from at Kingwood Arms, Ison printing and mailing thank you letters to exhibitors and letting them know she will be in contact for the next year.

The Potters Clay started in 2005 to bring joy to the elderly, lonely and in nursing homes, Ison explained. Later that year, the first heath fair was started. About 12 professionals offered blood sugar screens, BP checks and the likes.

Originally from South Bend, Indiana, Irene Maryann Ison, age 94, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Manchester.

Visitation was Saturday, Nov. 25, at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Manchester. The funeral mass followed with Father Steve Klasek officiating. Internment was at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.