Ivy Jean (Coxson) Kerlee passed away gently on January 4, 2016, in the company of her son David and daughter Lynn, at the Providence Medical Center in Everett, Washington.

Born on Dec. 6, 1926 in tiny, remote, Vauxhall, Alberta, Ivy kept a sense of the wonder and adventure of the prairie to her last days. Daughter of a ministering couple, Rev. Clyde and Jean Coxson, she survived early, dangerous and challenging incidents of plains life to grow up as the oldest of five children. While Clyde hunted and farmed to supplement his rural minister's salary, Jean and the children gardened, picked and canned vegetables and wild berries, and stocked the root cellar. In this hard working life there was much comradery and companionship, and time was always found for art and music, lifelong passions.

Church was always a part of their life; Clyde and Jean began to run the Free Methodist camp grounds in Alix, Alberta. Ivy had constant duties taking care of the younger children, and organized play, imitating the adults' services, meetings, and church school. From this she developed a personal style and commitment to teaching and education that characterized the rest of her life.

After high school in Kamloops, British Columbia, Ivy traveled to Seattle, Washington, to attend Seattle Pacific College (now University). While acquiring a teaching and art degree she met a physics student, Donald Kerlee. Their marriage of over sixty years was dedicated to education in every way that presented itself; she taught public, private, and Sunday school, and nurtured family and the children of friends. On occasion disabled and troubled children and teenagers were welcomed into the home. With Don, she adopted four children, Daniel, Melinda (Lynn), David, Lucinda (Cindi), and later brought two special Chinese graduate students, Howard Hao and Lucy Chen, into this country and her family.

Don's career, and their wide-ranging family on both sides, afforded many opportunities to see Canada, the United States, and the rest of the world. A year in Manchester, England, was preceded by a summer of camping across continental Europe in an iconic red and white VW camping bus. When Don's career took him into administration and eventual presidency of Roberts Wesleyan College in upstate New York, she played the role of hostess with openness and energy. Later, she and Don spent several summers of service in Bejing, China, teaching English to Chinese teachers there. When Seattle Pacific acquired a new campus on Blakely Island in the San Juans, Ivy created a summer camp around an historic pioneer cabin, where young teenagers got to experience the domestic and life skills that had been a necessity only two generations before. Upon retirement with Don to Warm Beach, Washington, she painted, and created gardens that were enjoyed by the community for many years.

Ivy loved all children and particularly her very special grandchildren Fritz, Gioia, Melissa, Derek, Andrew, Kirsten, Casey, Dylan, Devon, Alicia, Maria, Ryan, Amy, Claire, Stephen, and her five great-grandchildren, along with many special nieces and nephews. All respected her firm guidance and enjoyed her enthusiastic and tender care. To those of all ages in her flock she regularly sent small watercolors of nature, Bible verses of encouragement, and words of endearment.

Ivy rejoins Don who passed away in 2012; she is survived by all her descendants and their spouses, her sisters Esther Taylor and Elsie Carlson, her brothers Stanley and Wesley Coxson, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, their families, friends too numerous to name here but all dear to the end.

Memorial Services will be on Sunday, Jan 17, at 3 pm at the Warm Beach Free Methodist Church, 20815 Marine Dr, Stanwood, WA 98292, followed by a reception.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Warm Beach Youth and Summer Camps, 20800 Marine Dr, Stanwood, WA 98292, or to the Donald D. Kerlee Excellence in Physics Scholarship fund at Seattle Pacific University, or to the Donald Kerlee Scholarship fund for Graduate Engineering at Roberts Wesleyan College, North Chili, New York.