Irene Spencer was an American author and a widow of Verlan LeBaron, brother of former prophet Joel LeBaron of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, a fundamentalist Mormon offshoot.
11 Facts About Irene Spencer
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Irene Spencer was the fifth generation of her family to live in polygamy.
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Irene Spencer's ancestors were members of the LDS Church who believed that they could not attain the highest rewards of heaven unless they were in plural marriages.
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In 1953, at only 16, Irene Spencer became the second wife of Verlan LeBaron.
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Irene Spencer came to Mexico to visit his wives every few weeks, but spent more time in Ensenada than he did with Spencer and Ester in Los Molinos.
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Irene Spencer was forced to become very creative to make ends meet.
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Over 28 years of marriage, Irene Spencer bore Verlan 13 children, and adopted another child.
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Irene Spencer then entered a monogamous marriage around 1988 to Hector J Spencer, who had been an apostle in the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in the LeBaron Church of the Firstborn.
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Irene Spencer became a born-again Christian at the urging of one of her sons and became an outspoken critic of polygamy.
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Irene Spencer wrote several books, including Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife and Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement to shed light on the realities of polygamy in modern America.
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Hector Irene Spencer died on January 21,2013, at their home in Mexico, where he was buried.