Ms. Lovie Ivey was a caring mother, grandmother, sister, friend and community supporter. She entered this world on March 2, 1922 in Talladega, AL to Josie Ivey and E. Graham.
She peacefully transitioned to eternal rest on February 17, 2021. Gadsden, AL became Ms. Ivey's home after the death of her mother. She attended Carver Adult High School, and after graduation she began to make her mark in Gadsden as she believed in staying busy, being independent and working towards upward mobility. Ms. Ivey held several jobs: she was an employee of Big Jim's Record Shop where she was a placement officer she also was a domestic engineer where she raised many darling children in Gadsden's community. She also worked as an insurance agent for Booker T. Washington Co. serving East Gadsden residents for many years.
Faith and love of God played a major role in Ms. Ivey's life. She was a long-time member of Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church where she served on many committees, including the bereavement committee. In 2004, Ms. Ivey joined Pastor Rev. Charles Posey and many others to form Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church. She absolutely loved her church and her church family. She gained strength, resilience, felt freedom and solidarity from her time spent worshipping God with members of her community. This also helped serve as a vehicle for her to extend love and kindness to all the lives she touched.
Living in the Jim Crow era with its bigoted and discriminatory practices caused Ms. Ivey to always have a burning desire to affect positive change in her community. She was not one to sit by and let others be in control of her destiny or allow for the mistreatment of any community members. Ms. Ivey also felt it was her responsibility to fight for the civil rights and dignity of others. To this end, she served at Legal Services Corporation of AL locally as a client council member and several other positions. Additionally, she served as Vice Chairman of the state Legal Service client council and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Legal Services Corporation of AL. Ms. Ivey believed in political activism and showed her support as a staunch supporter of councilman Robert Avery since 1986. She implored everyone to play a part to a make this world a better place to live no matter their stature in life. She strongly believed in the power of voting to let one's voice be heard. She encouraged everyone she met to become a registered voter and exercise the right to vote at every opportunity.
Ms. Ivey's life exemplified servant leadership. Empowering and improving the community in which she lived was paramount and at the heart of everything she did. She was a very active community person. She was a resident of Colley Homes where she assisted new residents to settle in comfortably and made sure each resident had a voice in issues that may affect them. She served as Resident Council President for Colley Home Housing. She also served on the board of Greater Gadsden Housing Authority. Ms. Ivey was the Vice State Chairperson for the Resident Association for Public Housing. Her commitment to the community extended further as she served on the Board of Quality of Life Health Services Inc. for 15 years.
Ms. Ivey was a fashionista who was full of energy, laughter and always had a smile on her face. She would light up every room with her warm and funny spirit. She loved to cook and had an amazing memory which served her well when she recounted details no one else could ever remember. Her boisterous laugh and booming voice entertaining all by recounting her many adventures with family and friends.
Ms. Ivey was preceded in death by her beloved son, James Pinton Ivey. She was the last living sibling and leaves a loving circle of family and friends to cherish her memories: Her loving and cherished grandson Jason (LaQuana) Ivey of Cherry Hill, NJ, granddaughter LaTashia Collins of Gadsden, her dearest daughter Patricia (Curlie) DeRamus of Gadsden, loving daughter-in-law Allie V. Ivey, special daughter Diane Treadwell; her treasured great-grandchildren: Amira Ivey and JaQuan Ivey of Cherry Hill, NJ; Camry Collins of Gadsden; "Boyfriend" Robert(Jan) Avery; adopted sons, Steven Hoyt and Wayne Rowe a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, folks she raised, other loved ones and many dear friends. Public viewing will be Friday, February 26, 2021 at the West Gadsden Funeral Home from 2pm-6pm. Private service will be Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 1:00 @ West Gadsden Funeral Home. Eulogist: Reverend Charles Posey Internment: Lincoln Hill Memorial Park
Arrangements under the direction of West Gadsden Funeral Home.
/fit-in/200x300/filters:fill(white)/filters:strip_exif()/fit-in/200x300/filters:fill(white)/prod/800/177103/p63ldvkvos8hnaiotgd9.jpg)
