Friends and friends are remembering and acknowledging the life and work of Irene McHenry.
Irene served in many roles in Friends school education. She was the founding head of Delaware Valley Friends School and later served as executive director of Friends Council on Education.
The Friends Council on Education website includes a memorial to Irene where people are sharing memories and photos. Friends write about her leadership in Quaker education and her welcoming presence. They describe how she gave full attention to each task and worked to connect individuals, groups, and institutions.
Friends Journal also shared an article by Irene, where she wrote about new growth in the Religious Society of Friends. She described how teachers, graduates, parents, and administrators from Friends schools moved into membership in monthly meetings after taking part in Friends education.
A Memorial Service for Irene McHenry will be held Friday, May 1, 2026, at the Historic Arch Street Meeting House, with an option to participate virtually. Friends may share memories or RSVP for the memorial through the Friends Council on Education website.
The following is attributed to Friends Council on Education.
Remembering Irene McHenry
Radiant Light, Quiet Strength, and Inspired Leadership
We are grateful for the life and witness of Irene McHenry. Her quiet strength and deep wisdom radiated warmth and caring with every interaction. She moved through the world attentive to the Light in each of us. Whether she was teaching in a classroom, guiding a young professional, or holding a room full of seasoned colleagues in gentle, steady care, she saw the beauty as well as the opportunity to seek justice. Her way of being invited us to slow down, to listen more deeply, and to meet one another with love.
We are grateful for the ways that Irene touched our lives, both personally and professionally. Many of you met Irene early in your journey, perhaps still finding your footing. She became a mentor whose insights and encouragement endured. When Irene looked at someone, she truly saw that person—their goodness, their gifts, their potential—even parts that person had not yet recognized in themselves. Through countless small moments of coaching, listening, and calm challenge, she awakened in people a deeper sense of purpose. And in the spaces that she created for groups—cohorts, gatherings, circles of learning—she fostered communities where people both supported and stretched one another.
We are grateful for Irene’s commitment to Friends Council on Education, which she guided for more than 20 years with clarity, intensity, and devotion. Her legacy includes visible milestones such as the founding of the Leadership Institute, as well as less visible relationships and mutual care that she cultivated and nurtured among us. No matter her title or position—teacher, psychologist, founder, head of school, executive director—she was always, at heart, a teacher. She taught us to live with intention and to meet each person with the same compassion and curiosity she offered so freely. For her spirit, her life, and her leadership, we give thanks to Irene McHenry.
Friends Council is grateful for the life and witness of Irene McHenry. Her quiet strength and deep wisdom radiated warmth and caring with every interaction. She moved through the world attentive to the Light in each of us. Whether she was teaching in a classroom, guiding a young professional, or holding a room full of seasoned colleagues in gentle, steady care, she saw the beauty as well as the opportunity to seek justice. Her way of being invited us to slow down, to listen more deeply, and to meet one another with love.
We are grateful for the ways that Irene touched our lives, both personally and professionally. Many of you met Irene early in your journey, perhaps still finding your footing. She became a mentor whose insights and encouragement endured. When Irene looked at someone, she truly saw that person—their goodness, their gifts, their potential—even parts that person had not yet recognized in themselves. Through countless small moments of coaching, listening, and calm challenge, she awakened in people a deeper sense of purpose. And in the spaces that she created for groups—cohorts, gatherings, circles of learning—she fostered communities where people both supported and stretched one another.
We are grateful for Irene’s commitment to Friends Council on Education, which she guided for more than 20 years with clarity, intensity, and devotion. Her legacy includes visible milestones such as the founding of the Leadership Institute, as well as less visible relationships and mutual care that she cultivated and nurtured among us. No matter her title or position—teacher, psychologist, founder, head of school, executive director—she was always, at heart, a teacher. She taught us to live with intention and to meet each person with the same compassion and curiosity she offered so freely. For her spirit, her life, and her leadership, we give thanks to Irene McHenry.
