Palestine High School Alumni Association

09 / 19 / 1942  –  07 / 22 / 2011

Funeral services for Jerry Wymond Ives, 68, of Palestine will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday at Evangelistic Temple in Palestine with Bro. Andrew Overton and Bro. Johnnie Keeling officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Creek Cemetery under the direction of Bailey and Foster Funeral Home.

Mr. Ives died Friday afternoon at his residence in Palestine after a long and courageous battle with cancer and heart disease. He was born September 19, 1942, in Palestine to Delbert and Nora Lee McCann Ives. Mr. Ives, better known as Coach Ives, was raised in Palestine. He graduated from Palestine High School and attended Navarro Junior College and Baylor University. He graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1972. He excelled in all sports at Palestine before going on to Navarro Junior College where he played football and ran track.

He was an All-American linebacker at Navarro; that success led to a football scholarship at Baylor University where he played for two years. His love for kids and sports led him into education as a teacher and coach. His coaching career began at Palestine High School in 1972. He then went to Elkhart High School where he spent 22 years serving as teacher, coach, assistant principal, and athletic director/head football coach. He went to Cayuga High School in 1994, where he later became athletic director/head football coach. He retired from coaching and teaching in 1998. After a short retirement, he worked at Westwood Junior High as a teacher and coach until his final retirement in 2003. He was a lifetime member of Cedar Creek Missionary Baptist Church and served many years there as a deacon. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather, and he loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers: Leland, Bud, and Leslie Ives.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Darlene Mace Ives; daughter, Jennifer Mixon and husband Shawn of Woodville; and son Jason Ives and wife Christy of Elkhart. He is also survived by his grandchildren Shelby and Emily Mixon and Jordan and Chloe Ives and a sister-in-law Sandra Ives of Palestine.

Pallbearers will be nephews David Wayne Ives, Delbert Allen Ives, and David Paul Ives along with Donald Ray McCann, Ray Hill, Marty Renner, and Paul Essary. Honorary pallbearers will be brother-in-law Barry Mace, along with Wesley Taylor, John Dow III, Ray Burris, Glen Goen, Kyle Lock, Doug Black, and Paul Walding.

Visitation will be at Bailey and Foster Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Elkhart Athletic Booster Club at Elkhart ISD in honor of Coach Jerry Ives or to the Cedar Creek Cemetery Association.