Irene and her brother Edward Johnston (husband of Ida V. Patterson) were from a large family in Canada. Their parents owned wheat farms in the Milestone, Saskatchewan, area. As a child, Irene was active in church groups and Canadian Girls in Training, similar to the Girl Scouts in the United States. She graduated from Milestone High School in 1926, and she immigrated to the United States on 31 October 1927. Irene attended Drakes Secretarial School in New Jersey, and before her marriage to Johnnie she worked for Penn State College. For 22 years, she worked as a stenographer and clerical worker for Disbrow Manufacturing Co., Newark (and later East Orange), New Jersey. Irene enjoyed sewing, cooking, reading and sports, and she did volunteer work for the American Lung Association. She lived in Lake Worth, Florida near her two sisters-in-law, Ida V. (Patterson) Johnston and Effie (Patterson) Steffen.¹

As a teenager, Johnnie attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Newark Technical College, and he also completed several international correspondence courses. He was the assistant sales manager for National Oil and Supply Co. In 1954 he moved to Florida and opened a paint store as an agent for John Lucas Paint Co., along with his brother-in-law, Karl Steffen. He enjoyed bowling, golfing, reading, sports, traveling and music, and he was a Mason.¹