Leo "Corkie" Ivie's Obituary
In loving memory to a wonderful, terrific, great, funny, patient, kind, caring,giving ……… husband, daddy, son, grandson, father-in-law, grandfather, great grandfather,brother, brother-in-law, cousin, friend, role model, worker and painter ………… also known as”Corkie”, named by his grandpa Hey, “Corkie Dale”, “DD” aka “Daddy Darling” or “DirtyDog”, “Buddy”, “Painter Extraordinaire”, “Whirl Wind Ivie” and “Atlas”.Corkie was born in 1932 and raised in Harrisburg, Missouri by his “Mamma” grandmotherSally Asbury Mead, while his mother Lillian Mead Ivie worked in Kansas City to earn moneyto send home. He inherited his Grandpa Charles Mead’s blacksmith shop, sold it and gavethe money to his Mamma. Corkie’s father was Garl Ivie. Even though his father did not seehim, he had close relations with his grandparents Ma Ivie and Pa Frank. Corkie’s motherremarried Milton Ruhnke and they had Corkie’s brother Gary.He married his wife Helen Ann Hunker in 1951, and had his one and only child Glenda Leewhile living in Clark, Missouri, where his in-laws Gladys Watkins, Glen Watkins and theirdaughter, Corkie’s sister-in-law, Mary Jane Watkins lived. They moved to Sacramento thefirst time in 1957 but moved back to Missouri the following year. They eventually moved toMoberly, Missouri, and ended up with two service stations.When they moved to Sacramento, California permanently in October 1961, Corkie broughta friend and worker Bob Briggs with him to work at his new station at Florin Road andBowling Drive. He eventually had 3 additional stations, Sacramento Boulevard andFruitridge, Power Inn and Folsom Boulevard, and in Woodland at I 5. Over the years heemployed quite a few church people and young family friends, Duane Tadlock, Pat Ousby,Donnie Terry, Blake Mitchell, Jeff Carriker, Mark Walthers, Hap Woods, Mark Farley,Brenda Parker, Chuckie Browning and Dawn Buck. Corkie worked at all of the stations for28 years.In 1961 Corkie started attending 14th Avenue Baptist Church where he eventually wasbaptized and became a member. He did a lot of painting and work at the church as well asdonating money for many church needs. Some of which were the bells, asphalting theparking lot, the carpet in the nursery.At 50, Corkie changed careers to his great passion, painting houses. He painted for 22years with the help of Dale and Rick Wilkins. He moved to a mobile home park with hiswife in 2004, where his very close cousin Helen Kipping lives. This was about the time hisAlzheimer’s really began to appear.He moved into an Alzheimer’s facility June 19, 2012, and was there until he passed. Corkiereally enjoyed himself. He stayed up all night walking, moving tables, chairs, pulled pipesout of a bathroom wall with his bare hands and flooded 4 rooms, pulled a light out of thewall, pulled a TV off a chest broken with smoke and sparks coming from it and just grinningthe entire time. He thought he was painting most of the time, and hired Judy and Christinato work for him. He was always the hard worker.Corkie left many relatives and loved ones behind, wife Helen, daughter Glenda, son-in-lawMike, granddaughters Bonnie, Crystal and her husband Brad, and 1 year old great grandsonBruce, Nicole and her husband Jim, and their new baby, Becky and her husband Scott,great grandson Anthony, great granddaughters Taylor, Emily, Jackie, and Cassonda andDuane, grandson Anthony and granddaughter Jenee, brother Gary and his wife Debbie,niece Cindy, nephew Eric, sister-in-law Mary, niece Marsha, great niece Julia, greatnephews Justin and Jacob, cousins Helen Kipping , Judy and her husband Dave, and Christina, Donna,Wilma, Debbie, Darryll Asbury, Nita and her husband Paul, Kimberly, Stacy, Melva Dean,and wonderful friends from over the years Beatrice Fee, Don and Wanda Beck, Jeannie,Kacy, Kyle and Brayden, Lynda Terry, Barbara Wilkins, Carole and Joey Martin, MichaelMartin, Bill and Greg Pitt, Jack and Betty Shimasaki, Keith Nichols, Deloris and Bill Orton,Rita Ellen and Billy Guy Bradley, Geneva Christophel, Diana and Art Owings.Corkie loved working, playing cards, dominoes, marble game, dancing, bowling, portulaca,making up funny songs and stories, taking kids to church and telling them jokes andwhoppers on the way, collecting bells, plates and eggs. He loved cut up cantaloupe andwatermelon, Mike’s steaks, fried catfish, biscuits and gravy. Corkie tried playing the guitarbut fell asleep every time he took lessons and practiced. So he gave it up. He loved friedfrog legs and went gigging with his neighbor.Corkie Ivie saw the light, let go and went to Jesus, January 8, 2013, around 7:00 in theevening. He had loved ones with him and many had come by the previous days. Glenda washolding his hand and Jeannie was at his head as his last breath was gone. Mike, Bonnie,Crystal, Nicole, Jim and Becky were also there waiting for him to be taken away, never tobe seen until we get to heaven. Earlier in the day and the days previously, he had the sameloved ones with him including Judy Younker, Bobby Hoyt, Michael Martin, Carole and JoeyMartin, Sara Martin and Kevin. He was in such pain and agony that the Lord said, it’s timeto come home Corkie, and be free.Glenda did not want Helen to see Corkie as he was but to remember how he looked before.So right after he was gone, Helen called. She knew when it happened. Jeannie, Bonnie,Becky, Crystal, Nicole and Glenda went to see Helen while Mike and Jim waited withCorkie. What a bitter, sweet ending to a glorious man.
What’s your fondest memory of Leo?
What’s a lesson you learned from Leo?
Share a story where Leo's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Leo you’ll never forget.
How did Leo make you smile?