Irene Elizabeth Pack, retired telephone operator, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2008, in the Cushing Regional Hospital at the age of 87 years.                  The daughter of the late Jesse Cates and Lizzie Carter Cates, Irene was born on November 30, 1920 in Ellsinore, MO, moving to Oklahoma with her parents and family as a small child, settling in Ripley, OK, where she was reared and educated, graduating from Ripley High School.                  She was united in marriage to George Thomas Pack on August 10, 1951 in Cushing and the couple had no children.  He preceded her in death on May 7, 2002.                  Irene had worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for over 31 years prior to her retirement.  She was a longtime member of the Council Valley Baptist Church; she enjoyed gardening, planting flowers and spending time with her nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.                  Survivors include her sisters, Opal Gayhart and her husband Jr., of Yale, Kathleen Harrison of Cushing, Lorene Franklin and her husband Leonard of Tulsa, Sylvia Meyerdirk and her husband Harold of Bartlesville, Earnistine Pershing and her husband Don of Stillwater and Rosalie Goin and her husband John of Pittsboro, NC; a brother-in-law Dick Kirkpatrick of Cushing; a sister-in-law Thelma Cates of Claflin, KS; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.                  In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by one sister, Juanita Kirkpatrick; one brother Vivan Cates and two brothers-in-law J. C. Harrison and Herbert Skinner.                  Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 2 P.M. in the Council Valley Baptist Church with Reverend Larry Lehr, pastor, officiating.                  Burial will follow in the Euchee Valley Memorial Park Cemetery.        `