Ira Woody Myers

Our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother died on December 22, the day after what would have been her 71st anniversary. We think she had been connected to our dad for so many years that she wanted to get back to him. “Ma”, as she was affectionately known, was 92.

Our mother was born in Forest City, North Carolina, on October 21, 1924. She didn’t stay there for long. After graduating from high school at 16, she travelled by herself to Seattle, Washington, to become a Western Union operator. She returned to Charlotte, NC, where she met our father - tripped him down some steps when she decided she wanted to meet him - while he was stationed at Camp Greene before leaving for the war.

That began a 70 year odyssey that took her, a small town girl, to the capitals of Europe, to live for five years in Paris, as well as the capitals of a number of states. She was a military wife who travelled with our dad whenever he was transferred from one air base to another. She lived through World War II, Korea, Viet Nam and Grenada, among other lesser known conflicts that caught our father. All while raising five successful children and most of the time holding down a full- time job.

Whenever she could, she found a job as a secretary. We think she was about the best in the world, a sentiment shared by most of the people she worked for. At the beginning of her career she worked for a small time lawyer in Montana, where she remembered typing the last court order for a hanging verdict. At the end of her professional career she was administrative assistant to the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Humanities at UNC Charlotte, where her extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of college life helped many students get through to graduation, as well as helping many professors through rough patches.

Her other passions in life were writing, sewing, knitting, and crocheting. She could literally look at a dress or an outfit in a magazine and recreate it on her sewing machine, which she did many times, much to the delight of her children and many other people’s children. She made costumes for members of the Singing Christmas Tree. She made cheerleader uniforms for some of our public schools in the days when there weren’t funds to buy them. She made the first cheerleader uniforms for the Charlotte Hornets when they first became a team. She made at least five wedding dresses. She gave away to whoever asked or needed. She also made the best Snickerdoodles ever!

Ma taught us that it's always better to be honest. When Roz was six years old Ma said, “Every time you tell a lie the shape of your face changes.” We don't know how true that was, but we have never been good liars!

She taught us perseverance. When her sister, Billie, taught Roz how to crochet, Roz would make a granny square and show it to Ma. As she pulled out all of the stitches, she would say, "This looks good, now go back and make your stitches neater." Any job worth doing is worth doing well.

She taught us patience. "This, too, shall pass." was a favorite phrase of hers. Any time there was an issue, real or imagined, she would repeat that. Of course, she was always right.

She taught us grace. “Getting old is easy. Being old is not.” She did not like the limitations advanced age put on her. Her age made her give up things she loved: it was more difficult to walk, cook, and sew. She was still able to knit and crochet and we will all cherish all the things she made for us.

As she said, “Just remember: My life has been one great adventure. I have learned more, gone farther, and accomplished so much more than I had ever thought. I would not have traded this life for any other. This must have been what God intended for me.”

She was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, M.Sgt. Rhymer Myers, and two sons, Thomas Myers and Ronald Myers. She is survived by four children: Kathy Tuten (Dave), Joe, Russell (Nikki), and Roslyn Curry (Dave), Jenny Myers (Thom, Deceased), grandchildren Chris Curry, Catie Curry, Phillips (Ben), Elliott Curry, Colin Myers (Dennise), Donna Myers Lagle (Trey), John Myers, Jerry Myers; and great grandchildren Abigail Phillips, Annabel Phillips, Iain Myers, and Bryce Curry.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the American Kidney Foundation.

A memorial reception will be held by the family at Wilson Funeral Home on Sunday, January 1, 2017, from 2 PM to 4 PM.