William A. "Bill" Ivey

STOKESDALE- William A. "Bill" Ivey died peacefully September 9, 2006 at Countryside Manor in Stokesdale surrounded by his family.

A memorial service will be held at Queen Street United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2006. The family will receive friends in the Fellowship Hall prior to the service. Burial will be in Pine View Cemetery in Rocky Mount Wednesday afternoon.

Born and raised in Rocky Mount, Bill was the youngest of eight children born to Charles Winfield and Sallie Bridgers Ivey on April 1, 1923. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Doris Wellons, Alma Thigpen, Mary Louise Hammond, and Blanche Foy, and by brothers M.W. Ivey, Pete Ivey, and Charles Ivey.

He graduated from Rocky Mount High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His education was put on hold when he volunteered for service in the U.S. Army Air Force. He was trained as a navigator on B-24s and was stationed on Hawaii and Guam. Following the war, he returned to Chapel Hill and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. During the Korean War, he once again served his country as a navigator on B-29s.

Bill began his work career with the North Carolina Department of Revenue in Raleigh where he met his future wife, Mary Ann Beale. He moved to Kinston in 1952 when the DuPont plant opened and worked there in the Purchasing Department until his retirement in 1985.

His interests included refinishing antiques and gardening and for years spent his free time landscaping his yard and growing vegetables. In 1994 he began cultivating orchids and was instrumental in establishing the Neuse River Orchid Society. A member of Queen Street United Methodist Church, Bill sang in the choir for many years until he retired to the pews where he entertained fellow parishioners both during and after worship with his witty quips. Bill was blessed with a wonderful sense of humor and always had a joke or two ready for friends and family. He was an avid reader of history and biography, knew almost all of the questions on Jeopardy, and spent many hours doing both with his beloved poodle, Jessie, at his side.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Ann Beale Ivey, daughters Mary Causey of Summerfield and Lee Ann Gelinne of Hillsborough; son William A. Ivey of Raleigh; seven grandchildren, Shelley and Ronald Causey, Mary, Will, and Dan Gelinne, and Samantha and Leslie Ivey; several nieces and nephews and many good friends.

Memorials may be made to Queen Street UMC, 500 N. Queen Street, Kinston, NC 28501.

The Brooke Chapel of Forbis & Dick Funeral Service is serving the Ivey family.

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