Former postmaster dies at 86

Gene R. Irwin, 86, died on June 25 at Alleghany Memorial Hospital. Irwin was a community leader who had served as Sparta Postmaster and Alleghany Clerk of Court.

Irwin is survived by his wife, Evelyn Arnold Irwin, his son and and daughter-in-law, Bill and Dorothy Irwin of Glade Valley, and two granddaughters. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruby Byerly Irwin.

A complete obituary appears on Page 13A.

Irwin was a founding member of the Sparta-Alleghany Volunteer Fire Department when it was still known as the Sparta Volunteer Fire Department, said son Bill Irwin. Gene Irwin also was a member of the Lions Club and the Bruce Wayne Osborne Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 7034.

Irwin also was very active in building Sparta's first ballfield, which is now called Jarrett Field. "A lot of local people assisted in the building of that ballfield and he worked there for days and days," said Bill Irwin.

He was an avid fisherman, and trout fishing was his favorite pastime. Gene Irwin also served in World War II, during which time he was stationed in the Pacific in the U.S. Navy. He was on the islands of Peleliu and Anguar, which were to be the islands used to launch a ground assault on mainland Japan. However, after the atomic bomb was dropped, the Japanese surrendered. Irwin served as a Storekeeper Second Class and was in the Navy from 1942 until 1946.

Upon returning to Alleghany County, he was elected Clerk of Court and served three terms — from 1958 until 1970. Irwin was appointed postmaster in Sparta soon afterwards and served in that position for 22 years, retiring in the early 1990s.

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