Iva Jane Butler

Iva Jane Butler, 79, of Beaver Dam, Arizona, passed away on November 1, 2022.

Iva was born in American Falls, Idaho, on April 28, 1943, to Albert and Rosa Christensen, with her twin sister, Ida. The family, which included her parents, sisters, Joyce and Ida, moved to Riverside, Idaho, where Iva attended school before graduating from Snake River High School in 1962. She attended Ricks College and Stephen Heneger College.

Iva married Warren Lavon Butler on July 12, 1968. The two were married in Riverside at the local chapel and they solemnized their marriage in the Idaho Falls Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on May 20, 1972.

The couple welcomed their first two children while living in Blackfoot, Idaho, and moved to Shelley, Idaho, in 1973 where they added two more children to their family. They spent the next 35 years living and serving in the community.

Iva and Lavon moved from Shelley to Palisades, Idaho, in 2008 and Beaver Dam, Arizona (where they alternated living in the summers and winters respectively) in 2009.

One of Iva's greatest accomplishments was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with her husband in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 2009 to 2010. She was an active member of the church and served in a variety of callings throughout her life, including in Relief Society presidencies, and as a nursery and primary teacher. 

Her career included working in cafeterias all over East Idaho, including at the Idaho National Lab, the Idaho Falls Temple, and the Shelley School District.

In her free time, Iva loved playing games with family and friends, including dominoes and a variety of card games, most notably Pinochle. When she wasn't actively playing a game herself, she could be heard helping contestants on her favorite game shows, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, The Price is Right, and most recently, Supermarket Sweep.

Throughout her life, Iva spent lots of time traveling. She and Lavon logged 15,000 miles of trails on their four wheelers and road tripped across the United States and Canada. Iva also enjoyed traveling on cruises and visited the Carribean, Mexico, and Alaska. She also spent a lifetime adventuring with Lavon and her family on fishing and camping trips.

Her biggest milestone was celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary to Lavon in July 2018. The celebration was attended by dear friends and family and was one of Iva's proudest moments.

Iva is survived by her husband, Lavon of 54 years; children, Christalina (Eric), Eric (Cathleen), Rebecca (Marc), and Kevin (Shirley); grandchildren, Sydney (John), Austin (Aubrey), Hailey (Patrick), Liam (Gabriella), Taylor (Cody), Nickolus (Emmalee), Jacob, Neil, Emily, Jonas, Avery and Tait; and sister, Ida (Roland).

She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Joyce.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 12, 2022, at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Avenue. The family will visit with friends Friday from 6-8:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to the service, both visitations at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Archer-Sutton Cemetery.

Services will be broadcast live on this web page. 

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