Irwin David Schreiner was many things: a loving husband, father, grandfather, cousin, son, son-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle; a loyal friend; a kind and generous person.

Irv was the only child of Blanche Wender from Tennessee and Samuel Schreiner from New York. He had no cousins on his mother's side, making him the pampered and only member of the next generation for his doting aunts and uncle in Tennessee. On his father's side there are many cousins, both older and younger. Irv was closest to his cousin Debi Schop, who is also the closest to him in age. Samuel died when Irv was a junior in High School. Irv was a devoted son till Blanch died in 1983.

First, he was known as Irv, a nickname he chose to alleviate confusion with two boys named Irwin in the same classroom. Irv was a good student in Yonkers where he grew up and continued through Vanderbilt University. During this time, he caught the travel bug and made his first foray through Europe with his two best friends, Joel and Madeline. He continued his education at Duke University for graduate school. While there he joined SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and participated in civil disobedience actions such as sitting in at segregated lunch counters. Once he was arrested and thrown in jail with other demonstrators. He put himself at risk on behalf of other people's civil rights.

With the encouragement of his cousins, Muriel and Murray Feshbach, Irv moved to Washington DC to take a job at the Census Bureau. After a few years at Census, Irv married and became Dad to Tobey. The marriage ended, but the relationship with his son was close until Tobey's death in 2019.

Irv continued to travel as much as he could, especially with his Census friends, George and Laura Train.

The Census Bureau offered a variety of activities outside of work including garden plots and sports leagues. Irv was an active participant. His softball teams were named things like 'Random Digits' and 'Standard Deviates'! Who says mathematicians don't have a sense of humor?

In 1979, Irv played on one team that was not affiliated with the Bureau but was comprised mostly of Census employees called 'Sunday Night Live.' This was a co-ed county league. The team was competitive and eventually went to the play-offs. It was at the last game of the season that Irv and Barb Federman met for the first time. It was a little dicey. Irv was warming up in her usual fielding position! Fortunately for Irv, when Barbara asked her housemate who that person was, John replied, "That's my good friend, Irv.' A great recommendation. Dave and Rick, Barb's two brothers were with her that evening. Since Irv didn't know that they were her brothers, he wasn't sure he stood a chance with Barb. This was in August of 1979. They married on January 13, 1980.

Barb's entire family loved and welcomed Irv from the first moment they met him, and Irv's family felt the same about Barb. Things only got better with the birth of Samara in 1982 and then Hannah in 1987.

Irv worked at the Census Bureau for thirty years. During that time, he was respected, lauded, and depended upon for his dedication and attention to detail and accuracy. When he retired at age 57, he took over crucial household chores that made everyone's life better. For instance, he took responsibility for getting Samara and Hannah out of bed and fed before sending them off to school. He also took over grocery shopping and participated in the planning of dinner menus.

Meanwhile, son Tobey grew up, married, and had two daughters of his own. Granddaughters! Carly was born in 1996 and Mary was born in 1998.

Irv did everything for the kids. Whatever they wanted. If he needed to, he told them ten times that breakfast was ready, and he never yelled. He only ever yelled at himself. Some of his favorite activities was coaching Hannah's softball team and watching both girls' soccer games.

He was even game to ski, and the Schreiners spent numerous winter weekends with their dear friends, Michael and Noga Lewin and their children, skiing and playing Pictionary.

Irv and Barb continued to play softball together through the District JCC coed league. Their first team was called 'The Red Menace", although a more appropriate name would have been "The Red Mensches." They played for almost twenty years, with Tobey playing with them the last few seasons, until the competition got too young and the injuries got too frequent.

His love for baseball, continued, however. As a youngster he rooted for the New York Giants. They broke his heart when they left for San Francisco, but he was still loyal. When the Nationals came to Washington, though, that loyalty was tested. Eventually he just fell in love with the Nats. There was no better year than 2019 when they won the World Series. Going to Nats Stadium for games was a great pleasure that Irv shared with Barb over the years, even the lean ones.

Soon after retirement Irv started working at H & R Block during the tax season. Besides being an excellent tax preparer, Irv got to know his colleagues and developed strong personal relationships. Some of his best golfing buddies were from Block.

When Samara and Hannah were growing up, the family spent time at Bethany Beach every summer. Usually some of Barb's family came to share in the fun.

One winter Irv, Barb, Samara and Hannah shared a rollicking week in England with his many cousins on Irv's dad's side of the family, traveling through Devon on a bus (Who can forget "Ode to the Grosses," in honor of our gracious hosts?) from Bigbury-on-Sea through Plymouth, Exeter and Dartmouth before traveling to London for The Mousetrap and Oliver Twist.

In the spring of 2000, the four Schreiners traveled to Israel for two weeks. This was a period of safety in Israel, and they traveled all over the country with a private guide.

When the kids became more independent, Irv and Barb began to venture out on their own. Bike and Barge trips on the Elodie with Deb Greitzer and later Deb and Leonard, trips to Spain and Italy with George and Laura. More recently, Irv and Barb have been sharing travel adventures to the Caribbean with George, Laura and Bill and Jane Sandusky, more friends from Irv's Census days.

After Barb retired in 2012, they started thinking about downsizing. In 2014 they settled on Sumner Village in Bethesda, a garden condominium community nestled in the woods adjacent to the Capitol Crescent Trail.

Irv loved Sumner Village. He loved the pool. He loved pickleball, he loved the people. For several years Irv co-chaired the annual collection for the Employees Fund.

Irv volunteered his time for Little Falls Village by driving people in need to doctors' appointments, another reflection of his deep commitment to helping others in need.

Irv gave back to his community and in turn, Irv was well-known and well-loved in Sumner Village. He was everyone's favorite pickleball partner. He was kind and encouraging. Competitive but never mean. He also loved to bob in the community pool and visit with all the other bobbers. Everyone knew that Irv would daily pack up his cart and head for the grocery store, or the open-air market, or other errands, or, on Saturdays to Sykesville to see his grandsons, Akiva, born in born in 2015 and River, born in 2016.

Seeing Samara and her husband, Kevin, and the boys on Saturdays was the highlight of his week, and one of the highlights of his life. The only time he missed was when he and Barb went to Brooklyn for the other highlight of his life, spending time with Hannah.

May his memory be a blessing.

The family asks that remembrances be made to World Central Kitchen or the humanitarian charity of your choice.