In Memoriam: Irene Waddell

Irene and Randall Waddell at their 50th anniversary celebration in 2019.

Edith Irene (Ward) Waddell

74, Dacula, Ga.

Edith Irene (Ward) Waddell, of Dacula, Georgia, died on December 11, 2025, at Northside Hospital Gwinnett in Lawrenceville, Ga. She was 74 years old.

Born on November 21, 1951, at Fort McPherson — a U.S. Army military base located in Atlanta, Ga. — Irene was a devoted wife, loving mother, and cherished grandmother and great-grandmother. She was known for her kind heart, joyous attitude, and unwavering love for her family. Irene found her greatest joy in spending time with those she loved and took pride in the life she built with her family. 

She is survived by her husband, Randall Waddell, of Dacula, Ga.; her daughters, Shannon (Daniel) Ross, of Jasper, Ind., Kimberly Waddell, of Winder, Ga., Amanda (Dennis) Morrison, of Columbia, Tenn.,, and Brandie (David) McDaniel, of Dacula, Ga.; ten grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren, all of whom were a source of immense joy and pride in her life. She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Ward; mother, Clara Ward; and brothers Charlie and Jimmy Ward. Her sister, Trish Scott, died 13 days after Irene on Dec. 24, 2025.

Irene will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Her legacy of love, devotion to family, and spirit will live on in the hearts of those she leaves behind.

There will be no visitation or formal funeral services. Instead, a private family memorial service will be held at a later date.

The Ward Family, Christmas 2017: Trish Scott, left, Charlie Ward, Irene Waddell, Jimmy Ward, Clara Ward.

The family at my college graduation party, Aug. 2000.

Daniel's Personal Thoughts:

I first met Irene on a cold Sunday morning in mid-January 1998. I was picking up her 25-year-old daughter, Shannon, for our second date to attend church together and to have lunch afterwards. We had seen Titanic together on Friday, Jan. 16, 1998 and things had gone well enough that she agreed to see me again on Sunday to go to Lighthouse Baptist Church together in Nashville, Tenn., that Sunday. However, when I drove south from my apartment in Nashville to Spring Hill, Tenn., to pick her up, things started to go, well, south. 

I rang the doorbell of their house … no answer. I knocked and rang it again … no answer. Once more … the same response.

I got back in my truck to leave thinking I was being stood up and feeling very rejected and dejected. I sat in my truck for a few moments (this was pre-cell phone days, mind you) and thought ‘I drove 45 minutes to pick this girl up and no one is answering — somebody is going to come to this door!'

Back to the front door … once more. After a final try, the door opened and I met Irene for the first time. She let me in after an introduction and went downstairs to get Shannon. Most people’s introduction to their future mother-in-law is a bit more … formal.

As it turned out, Shannon had set her alarm for p.m. instead of a.m. — and was not standing me up. Of course, we would marry nine months later — and have been for 27-plus years.

Each family member has their own memories and thoughts, but, for me, Irene’s presence was dominated by love, joy, and laughter. She, from the start, treated me as one of her own. She fed me, welcomed me into their home on a daily basis, and was always ready to laugh and enjoy life.

She was a well-known night owl and kept hours opposite from most everyone else. When we visited, she was going to bed about the time I (decidedly not a night owl) was waking up — give or take a couple of hours. According to her life-long friend Gail Garrett, this was the pattern from almost the beginning of her life. She loved to talk, catch up, hear the latest happenings in her friends’ and families' lives, and loved having a house full of people at holiday and other family gatherings. Every time we visited their house in Georgia, she would make me an egg sandwich for the road and have a warm hug before we left. In many ways, she was the lynchpin of the Waddell family. 

Her chair, centrally located in the living room, now sits empty — but our hearts are filled with the memories and the love she shared with her family. 

Grief and loss will take time to heal, but we rest knowing that her pain has ended, her heart beats perfectly, and her sight is restored in the presence of her savior, Jesus. Irene used to joke that she was "fabulous" when she was young. As the family prayed together on Irene’s last day, I was reminded that, in the presence of Jesus, she would be the most "fabulous" she has ever been.

As we gathered together in her final moments, we prayed for Jesus to welcome Irene into His kingdom. We have faith as ‘evidence of the things unseen.' In her late years, Irene's sight began to falter. Now, however, Irene’s faith has been made perfect sight and she KNOWS.

The family I got to know, especially in the early days of our marriage, was large and loved to have a good time. All of the original family (Charles [PawPaw] Ward, Clara [Granny] Ward, Trish, Irene, Charlie, and Jimmy) are now all gone from this mortal coil — but reunited in paradise. 

We will miss Irene on this earth, but look forward to a reunion in eternity.

The Waddell Family circa 1989 (or thereabouts).

Brandie McDaniel, left, Amanda Morrison, Irene and Randall Waddell, Shannon Ross, and Kim Waddell on July 4, 2025.

The extended family. July 4, 2025.