Iva Lea Volkmer, age 83, passed away on Thursday, June 7, 2018, at her home in Merritt Island, FL. She was born on January 31, 1935, to John and Helen Shaffer and was the youngest of 6 siblings who all preceded her in death.
Iva was born in Washington, D.C. attending Roosevelt High School, where she was a cheerleader and part of a sorority with the graduation class of 1953. She later moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, married and started her family, having 4 children. She worked at Cannon Road Elementary School for several years until in 1975 she moved to Merritt Island, Florida briefly and started working for NASA and the Delta Launch Crew at pad 17. She returned home in 1977 and transferred to Goddard Space Flight Center and in 1984 married Eldon Volkmer; retiring soon after and relocating back to Merritt Island. She and Eldon were very active in the Winnebago Club, traveling all over the country and working on the caravans they traveled with. They had friends in every state from their travels. When they weren’t traveling they enjoyed the local waters and were active members of Citizens for Florida Waterways. Iva loved sitting by the water and watching the dolphins, manatees, the birds and especially any launch she could from the Space Center. She enjoyed making crafts and for several years she met every week with her Bears Club where they made stuffed bears for children in the hospital. Her latest craft was crocheting kitchen scrubbies, and she enjoyed giving them away, even to strangers she met. She always had a kind word to say and a smile to share to all she came in contact with.
Iva is preceded in death by her son, Todd Wesley and daughter Tammie Aquilino. Iva is survived by her husband, Eldon A. Volkmer; her son and his wife, Terry & Leslie Wesley of Clarksville, MD; her daughter and her husband, Toni & Chris Maupin of Melbourne, FL; her son-in-law and his wife, Michael & Amy Aquilino of Potomac, MD; her step son Jim Volkmer of Rockville, MD, and her step daughter Linn Cole of Charlotte Hall, MD; 7 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren, 1 unborn great grandchild and several nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held on July 14, 2018, at Florida Memorial Gardens, 5950 S. US Highway 1, Rockledge, Fl 32955 at 3:30 pm.
In lieu of Flowers the family requests donations to Citizens for Florida's Waterways, PO Box 541712, Merritt Island, FL 32954. (www.cffw.org)
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