Iver Arnold

Iva Lee, as she was known to most of her friends, was born August 12, 1931 in Tuscaloosa. She was known for her devotion to her husband, Enyeart, and family, especially her daughter, Karen, and grandchildren Sally and Gray. She was a wonderful cook, a pursuit to which her large collection of dog-eared cookbooks attests—There was always something baking in the oven or simmering on the stove. She enjoyed visiting with friends and family and was a faithful correspondent, writing letters that were a treat to read. Until losing most of her eyesight in recent years, she was an avid reader and completed two or three crossword puzzles daily. She loved antiquing and dogs, especially her blonde cocker spaniel. She also enjoyed fresh and saltwater fishing, with crappie fishing in Apalachicola being a favorite. She loved to travel, including RVing, and she and Enyeart would occasionally take his Yamaha 750 out for a multiple-state ramble. She was a dedicated member of Rosedale Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa and Audobon Park Baptist Church in Memphis, and regularly attended Fairview Wesleyan Church in Cottondale, AL.

She went to work at a young age on the family dairy farm and did not stop working until she retired in her late 60s. She made life-long friends along the way, including those from Gulf States Paper and Dixie Diary Products Association. The majority of her work was done alongside her husband. She was a whiz at managing the financial and contractual aspects of their business ventures, the most long-standing being in home construction. Even after they retired, she continued to provide him with a monthly financial report until close to the end of their 69 years together.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Enyeart Myers Arnold; parents, Kellie Mason Ray and Sallie E. (Tubbs) Ray; father-in-law, John Calvin Arnold, Sr.; mother-in-law Mary Suvella (Morrison) Arnold; brother, J. P. Ray; brother-in-law, John Calvin Arnold, Jr.; sister-in-law, Doris Arnold Reese; brother-in-law, Almer Winfield Reese, Jr.; and nephew, Henry “Ron” Arnold. She is survived by her daughter, Karen Arnold Clark of Memphis; grandchildren, Sally Meeker Clark (SMJ Clark Meeker) of Manhattan, NY and Graham Arnold “Gray” Clark of Coronado, CA;; nieces Beth Ann Ray of Helena, AL, Connie Miller (Adger “Bubba”) of Elberta, AL, and Cindy Stiles of Mobile, AL; nephews Jeff Ray (Jennifer) of Birmingham, AL and David Reese (Darcy) of Lewis Center, OH; and sisters-in-law Loubeth J. Ray of Birmingham, AL and Patricia Arnold of Ocala, FL.

Services will be held at Memory Chapel Funeral Home & Memory Hill Gardens in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, March 23rd. Visitation is scheduled for 11:30, with a graveside service at noon, and a reception to follow.

Honorary pallbearers are Nina Jones, Betty Cummings, William Laurie, Phillip and Marie Hoggle, Morris and Bobbie Smithson, Maurice and Eva Rainey, and Leonard and Mary Smith. The family would like to express their gratitude to Trezevant Terrace’s second floor nursing staff and caregivers and to the rehabilitation therapy “girls” for their kindness and care.