Alice Mearns Ivy, 96, of Wilmington, passed away peacefully at her home in Stonegates. Alice was born in Wilmington on April 4th to Herbert Bradley and Loretta Mearns; she was a dedicated daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, teacher, athlete, sports enthusiast, gardener, and volunteer. Alice attended Wilmington Friends School from K-12, followed by Marjorie Webster College. She started her teaching career at The Tatnall School in 1950, where she would return in 1978.
Alice met her husband, Ed, at the University of Virginia and the two enjoyed fifty seven years of marriage, before Ed’s death in 2011. The couple lived and traveled all over the world, while their family grew to five children. In 1974, the couple returned to Wilmington after a twenty year absence, which allowed Alice to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones as well as be close to her sister, Loretta.
To know Alice was to know her enthusiasm, her care, her light, and strength. She took on any and every project with genuine interest and intensity–always making time to smile and laugh. From volunteering with Girl Scouts, Garden Club, Christ Church Green Show (and as their Children’s Minister), Nemours Children’s Hospital, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation, to playing field hockey, badminton, softball, tennis, basketball, golf, bowling, paddle, and pickleball, Alice never slowed down. Whether you knew her from the tennis court or from her forty-six years of sobriety, she greeted everyone with care and a zest for life and had a laugh that was infectious.
Alice’s favorite role, by far, was that of mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Buttons, to her family.
After the passing of her husband in 2011, Alice moved into Stonegates with her sister, Loretta, in 2016. These final years of her life allowed her to enjoy deep friendships, care for others and ultimately receive the care that allowed her beautiful life to transition with such thoughtfulness, grace, and love. Her family is incredibly grateful to all of those at Stonegates–friends, staff, care givers–that contributed to Alice’s rich life.
Alice is survived by her five children, Lee (Cindy), Herb (Deb), Alice (Ted), Carroll (Doug), and Jackie, eleven grandchildren, Tom, Nick, Devin (Harper), Emma (Curtis), Olivia, Allie (Dave), TJ, Zak, Max, Alejandra and Lucy, and four great grandchildren, Rhys, Alice (Vivi), Darby and Sabali.
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