- Date Of Birth: June 13, 1923
- Date Of Death: August 22, 2017
- State: Florida
Born on June 13, 1923 at Ft. Myer in Washington, D.C., Gene Ives spent a much of her youth in the Philippines, where her father was stationed. She was a teenager when she met Robert Ives there, the young man who would be her husband. The clouds of war were forming, however, and their families returned to the U.S.
Always an artistic child, Gene got a job as a graphic artist for the Quarter Master Depot in Texas. It was around the same time that she paid for her own flying lessons. She was a member of the Civil Air Patrol at the end of World War II.
Gene reconnected with Robert (Bob) who was a cadet at West Point. They married in January 1946, and Bob was sent to Korea. She joined him there. They soon returned stateside and over the years were stationed in various places around the country while raising five children. When they were living in the D.C. area, Gene returned to work as a graphic artist for the National War College and the Institute for Defense Analysis.
After retirement she joined a quilting group. With her artistic ability, she soon excelled and became an international prize winner whose handstitched quilts were on tour and were exhibited in museums. She was also a devoted book lover, gardener, and painter. In 2001 she and Bob moved to IRCC in Viera, Fl. Bob died in July 2006.
In addition to her five children, she has six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
