Irene Bednarek Santo, 74

Irene Bednarek Santo died Friday, Oct. 2. She was 74.

Santo was a retired Baltimore attorney who died of heart failure at her home in Garnet Valley, Pa., according to her obituary.

After emigrating from Germany to Butchers Hill at age 3 with her parents, she went on to become valedictorian of her class at Seton Keough in 1964 and was first in her class at the University of Baltimore Law School, where she earned her juris doctorate in 1970, her obituary says. She worked as a law clerk in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals until 1994.

Irene was predeceased by her husband, A. Ronald Santo, also a Baltimore attorney, who died in 1993 from a heart attack. They married in 1972, lived in Ten Hills and had two children, Kristina and Ron Jr.

According to her obituary, Irene Santo is survived by daughter Dr. Kristina Santo Nevy and her husband John Nevy of Garnet Valley, Pa.; son A. Ronald Santo Jr. and his wife Dr. Theresa Santo of Baldwin, Md.; sister-in-law Carole Derus of Baltimore; sisters Mary Widomski and Teresa Smith of Baltimore; and grandchildren John Brent Nevy II, Christopher Ronald Nevy, Emily Campbell Nevy, Katherine Genevieve Santo, John Jackson Santo, Henry Ronald Santo and a granddaughter-to-be.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and Thursday, Oct. 8, at Kaczorowski Funeral Home, 1201 Dundalk Ave., Baltimore, MD 21222.

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. at Holy Rosary Church, 408 S. Chester St., Baltimore, MD 21231. Interment will follow at St. Stanislaus Cemetery, 6515 Boston Street, Baltimore, MD 21222. Donations may be made in Irene Santo's memory to Holy Rosary Church.