Ivalee Kirby

Ivalee Kirby, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on February 1, 2024, at her home in Mansfield, Texas. She was born to Ethel and Kanawha Slone in Pippa Passes, Kentucky.

She grew up in Kentucky and attended college at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes. She later moved to Michigan, where she met her beloved husband, Joseph Kirby. The two were married in 1952 and lived in Michigan until 1980, when they relocated to Arizona. They resided there until his passing in 2018.

Ivalee worked as a secretary and office manager until her retirement.

Ivalee and her husband enjoyed traveling. They particularly enjoyed traveling around the country in their RV. They passed through or stopped in almost every state in the contiguous U.S. during their years of RV travel. They also took vacations to destinations in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Australia, and took many cruise ship trips over the years.

She enjoyed sewing and also collecting antiques and dolls.

Ivalee was a devoted mother to her son and daughter and later a doting grandmother to her two grandsons. She will be dearly missed.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Kirby; and siblings, James Jacobs, Bobby Jacobs, Claudia Skelly, Paul Jacobs, and Vivian Eyer.

She leaves behind her daughter, Deborah Coppola and son-in-law, Bill; son, Joseph Kirby and daughter-in-law, Donna; grandsons, Matthew Coppola and Christopher Coppola; siblings Irene Sloan and Merle Jacobs; and numerous members of her extended family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org. ( http://alz.org ./)