Iva Lou was born in Hennessey, Oklahoma on Aug. 7, 1927 to Clifford and Katie Best. She and her identical twin sister Ira Lee were a surprise and one of her favorite stories was that the doctor missed the delivery of Ira but arrived to deliver the unexpected second bundle of joy. Iva Lou was one of seven girls and two boys in a hard-working farming family.
Iva Lou was born in Hennessey, Oklahoma on Aug. 7, 1927 to Clifford and Katie Best. She and her identical twin sister Ira Lee were a surprise and one of her favorite stories was that the doctor missed the delivery of Ira but arrived to deliver the unexpected second bundle of joy. Iva Lou was one of seven girls and two boys in a hard-working farming family.
Iva and her sister attended Oklahoma College for Women and it was through their roommate that she met the love of her life, Bill. Although it was a blind date, she often said she knew the moment they met that he was “the one.” Iva Lou and her twin sister did almost everything together including sharing a double wedding on Feb. 13, 1949. Iva Lou and Bill welcomed sons Donald Dean and Ronald Jean before moving to Stanton California in 1957. They also had a daughter, Billie Lou, who was their angel in heaven. After moving to California they welcomed their third son, Charles Kelly. Iva’s teaching career began in Oklahoma and continued in the Long Beach Unified School District on the mainland until they moved to Catalina Island in 1969. While her husband Bill became the principal of the Avalon School, Iva Lou taught Art and Home Economics to many of the students who still reside here.
After retiring, she and Bill purchased Island Rentals where she enjoyed meeting tourists and sharing her love of the Island with them. Iva was also a gifted artist and created beautiful oils, acrylic, tile work, and pottery. She and Bill were animal lovers and sponsors of the Catalina Island Humane Society.
Iva Lou is survived by her sons, Don and Kelly and their spouses, Tina and Rita. She also loved her grandchildren Ryan and Evan Whitaker, Cameron Whitaker-Estes, and Stephen Wilkerson. In her later years she also welcomed great grandchildren: Dean and Elaina Whitaker, and Indiana and Ripley Estes. She is also survived by sisters:
Marie Gill from Long Beach, Ginger Coker of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and Gail Nelson of Prescott Valley, Arizona.
Iva Lou was well loved in Avalon and all who knew her will miss her kind ways and beautiful smile. The family would like to invite her friends to join them on Saturday, June 24, 2017 for a celebration of life and sharing stories. It will begin at 6 p.m. at Island Rentals. In lieu of flowers, Iva Lou would appreciate continued support of the Catalina Island Humane Society.
