John Alexander “Alex” Ivey was born on February 15, 2002, in Plano, Texas, to parents John Kemmerer Ivey and Kristina Larionova Ivey. At an early age, Alex was discovered to have a profound hearing loss, that left him developmentally delayed. He was enrolled in an early deaf education program with speech therapists and pathologists. At age 5, he had a cochlear implant.

Alex’s hearing loss was large part of his childhood and early development. He was told he would never speak or comprehend language in a “normal” manner. His parents were encouraged to enroll him in a school for the deaf. Despite this, a decision was made to enroll Alex in the local public school, to see how he could do. He was fitted with a large FM transmitter, and looked like an air traffic controller seated on the front row of class. Amazingly, he began to make significant progress and improvement.

Alex said that he felt bullied and teased as a child, because of his hearing loss. But it bears mentioning this also developed a profound sense of compassion and empathy on his part for other people. Alex knew what it was like to be ostracized for being “different,” and he made it his life mission to make all feel included and appreciated.

Alex’s family moved to Boerne, Texas, in 2014, where he truly began to excel in scholastics, art, music, Scouting, and academic competitions. This continued in high school, where he won multiple honors for speech and debate, medaled in UIL at district, regional, and state levels, medaled in UIL Congress in Austin, won a VFW competition for his patriotic essay, was the Boerne Drumline captain, and received multiple academic honors, graduating summa cum laude in 2020.

Alex was an Eagle Scout. He loved to hike, camp, and fish. He hiked into BSA’s Philmont Ranch and climbed Mount Baldy. His trek totaled 175 miles on foot, which is just amazing in this day of video games and smart phones. Alex‘s Eagle project benefited the Cibolo Creek Nature Center in Boerne.

Alex did service projects in Peru, Tanzania, and Nigeria. He travelled extensively in Europe, and dreamed of joining the diplomatic corps, or perhaps becoming an international lawyer. He visited five continents, and planned to see the remaining two.

Alex enrolled at the University of Texas Austin with 38 AP credit hours already accumulated. He received a $20,000 scholarship from GVTC Communications, for his service to the community.

Alex received a degree in IGR/Government, and was President of social fraternity Delta Sigma Phi. He received the Order of the Sphinx, Delta Sig’s highest honor. He studied a semester abroad in Paris. In 2024, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most elite academic honor society. He was consistently named to the Dean’s List and was a “Distinguished College Scholar.” He graduated in the spring of 2024.

Alex enrolled at The University of Texas School of Law, where he was active in the legal community, moot court, mock trial, and well loved by his professors and fellow classmates.

Alex died unexpectedly on April 14, 2025, for reasons still under investigation. In addition to his parents, he is survived by brothers Cameron and Andrew, grand parents Adrian and Jelena Mitchell, great grandmother Alexandra Kushina, uncles and aunts Todd and Jane, George and Nancy, and cousins Colter, Chris, and Sydney.

A memorial service will be held at The University of Texas School of Law on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 3:00 pm. 

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