Corsicana Daily Sun - May 23, 2004 edition

Woodrow Ivy

Services will be held for Woodrow Ivy at 2 p.m. today at Griffin-Roughton
Funeral Home in Fairfield with Brother Buddy Turner officiating. Interment will
follow at Fairfield Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be nephews of Mr. Ivy. They include Buford York, Jerry York,
Mackey Ivy, Sidney Ivy, Philip Ivy and Jimmy Cooper. Honorary pallbearers will
be Don Tolar, Wayne Vande Streek and Arthur Patrick.

Woodrow Ivy was born Oct. 25, 1912, the son of James S. Ivy Sr. and Lettie
Emmons Ivy. He passed away at home in Abilene on May 20, 2004, at the age of 91
years. Mr. Ivy grew up in the Mount Zion community, east of Fairfield, with
five brothers and two sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous
cousins. He attended school at Mount Zion and Fairfield High School. As a young
man, he and his brother Clois opened a general store at Oakwood. They
eventually moved their merchandise to Fairfield and operated a store with their
brothers, Athel and Roger.

During World War II, he worked at building defense camps. In 1944, he and his
family moved on to a tract of land on the Young Road, where he farmed and
ranched.

Mr. Ivy attended Jacksonville Baptist College Seminary in the 1950s and
afterward preached for about 44 years. He pastored and worked with churches at
Fairfield, Butler, Antioch, Buffalo, Kerens and Ennis. He conducted revival
meetings in Kansas, Oklahoma and other states. In 1977, he moved to Navarro
County where he continued to farm and ranch.

Mr. Ivy is survived by his wife, Gladys Ivy of Abilene; three children, John
Bruce Ivy and wife Joanna of Lake Jackson, Madie and husband John Head of New
York, Lettie Jane and husband Hal Cook of Blooming Grove; and three
stepchildren, Bob Unger, Rebecca Evans and Jennifer and Darroll Ratto. He is
survived by four grandchildren, David and Jeff Ivy of Lake Jackson, John and
Charles Head of New York and Boston; and 10 step-grandchildren. The mother of
his children also survives him, Lily Forehand Ivy of Barry, and one
sister-in-law, Catherine Ivy of Alvin.

Mr. Ivy was preceded in death by his brothers, Johnie, Grady, Roger, Athel and
Clois Ivy; and sisters, Rena York, Mamie Cooper and Dora Bonner.

Mr. Ivy, growing up on a farm in the early 1900s with his brothers, sisters and
many cousins, experienced a way of life that no longer exists. He was a master
storyteller and could bring the people and times to life for his younger
relatives. He enjoyed nothing better than to tell these stories for them. In
the last few years, he put many hours of such stories on tape for posterity. In
his late 80s, Mr. Ivy wrote a book of fiction titled, "Borea Land Stories,"
which was transcribed from tapes in the summer of 2002 by his daughter, Madie
Ivy Head.

Arrangements by Griffin-Roughton Funeral Home, Fairfield.