Ivy's obituary
Ivy Diers, 96, of Honolulu, HI, peacefully passed away on August 4, 2022 at 8pm with her niece Marilyn at her side.
Ivy Willis was born on January 24, 1926 in the Queensland town of Rockhampton, Australia. She was a twin with brother Charles (Charlie) and the 10th child born to her parents Thomas Treherne Willis and Elizabeth Mary Willis, formerly Rooney (née Ferris)
She was raised in the bush on the side of a mountain. The house was built of iron with hardwood floors, iron petitions and of course it had windows, but not made of glass, and they had no floor coverings of any description. The locality where she lived was known as Lakes Creek, some 15 to 20 km on the north side of the city of Rockhampton. This is where she continued her schooling until her scholarship year of 1941 and her name is on the school honor board.
In July 1942 a huge influx of American soldiers came to town and the population rose from 36,000 to 90,000. The Mayor asked the citizens of Rockhampton to invite two soldiers into their home from a Friday afternoon until Sunday evening. This was the time that Ivy met the handsome Paul Diers, from Seattle, Washington. She was only 16 when they met. After several years of courtship they fell in love and they were married at the Campbell Street Baptist Church on June 1, 1945.
In April 1946 she became one of thousands of Australian war brides who came to the US aboard the Mariposa, sailing from Brisbane to San Francisco. She then traveled to Seattle to meet Paul.
Ivy and Paul went on to have two children, Lynette and Greg. They raised their family in Seattle and after both children left for college Ivy and Paul began traveling the world and also spending part of the year in Hawaii, first in Kaanapali, Maui and eventually buying a condo in Honolulu. They enjoyed their life in Hawaii playing golf, dancing and entertaining. After the passing of Paul followed a few years later by Lynette and Greg, Ivy decided to move permanently to Honolulu where she lived for the next 15 years. She had many friends in Honolulu as well as her niece Marilyn and lived a very active social life. She also had frequent visits from her family members in Australia.
Ivy is survived by her four grandchildren Diana, Alex, Sarah and David as well as Noa, her great grandchild, along with many nieces and nephews in both the US and Australia.