Irene Mary Lieberman

1931 - 2015

Irene Mary Lieberman, née Zukowski, died on Thursday, June 11, after a brief illness. A longtime resident of San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Palm Desert, Irene was known and loved at the San Francisco Opera, where she never missed an opening; at the San Francisco Tennis Club, where her laughter lit up the courts; and in Glenbrook, Nevada, where her frequent parties were famous on both sides of Stateline. Irene was born in 1931 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the daughter of Polish immigrants. She moved to San Francisco in the 1950s, where she met her beloved husband, Richard Lieberman, who died in 1987. During the course of their marriage, she and her husband built a hotel and hospital business from nothing, while raising three children. Irene embraced life at all ages, making lifelong friends wherever she found herself -- be it on a cruise, in a restaurant, at a hot dog stand, or simply walking through an airport terminal. She collected friends the way some people amass Beanie Babies and pig figurines (which she also collected!) And she felt an abiding connection to her Catholic faith, with a prized rosary that had been blessed by three popes. Irene is survived by her children, Richard Michael Lieberman, of San Francisco; David Paul Lieberman, of Atlanta; and Paula Ann Lieberman, of Los Angeles. She was also fiercely proud of her grandchildren: Madalyn Ann Lieberman, Sasha Violet Lieberman, and Wes Marlowe Lieberman. And she adored her Havanese puppy, Ziggy.In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Doctors Without Borders, 337 7th Avenue, New York, NY, 1001, 888.392.0392, donations@newyork.msf.org. A funeral mass will be said at Saint Dominic Catholic Church, 2390 Bush Street, San Francisco, at 10:00 on Saturday, June 20, followed by a procession to Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. A memorial party and celebration of Irene’s life will follow in July.www.halstedngray.com