Ivar O. Iverson Jr.

Ivar O. Iverson, Jr. passed away June 26, 2023 at the age of 92. Ivar was born in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands in 1930 to the Reverend Ivar Iverson Sr. and Cora J. Hamre Iverson. Though he moved to the States at a young age, he always considered himself a Cruzan.

He lived in numerous places during his adolescent years as a pastor’s kid, but most fondly remembered his family’s time with stories from his time in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada and Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn New York , as well as summers on his mother’s family farm in Deforest Wisconsin.

After his service in Japan during the Korean War, he attended and graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Landscape Architecture. He moved to Albany, New York to work for the State of New York and met the love of his life, Jean Egleston, at church. They shared a memorable first date, the events of which have become legend. As he aged, he repeated the story over and over to anyone who would listen, still amazed that she choose him, even after he ran out of gas on the way to a ski outing in Vermont. They married in August 1958, four months after their first date. This August would have been their 65th wedding anniversary.

After the birth of their first child, he accepted a position with Leo Daly and Associates in Omaha, Nebraska. He then accepted a position with the federal government and began a long career with FHA and HUD as an environmental officer. Those positions took him to Atlanta then Miami and back to Atlanta, where he retired in 1992.

Ivar was always active in church, especially St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Miami, where the whole family participated in the building of the church, and later in Advent Lutheran in Doraville and Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta, where he served on church council, advised on property and landscape issues and helped establish a Columbarium.

He loved to travel and in retirement was fortunate to see much of the world with Jean.

More important than anything was his time with family. Especially in recent years, Ivar frequently took the opportunity to express amazement and gratitude for the life he had. With four generations at family gatherings, he was a great grandpa, a grandpa, a father, a father-in-law, husband and uncle. He always seemed amazed at his good fortune.

He is pre-deceased by his parents and two brothers, Harold and Curtis Iverson. He is survived by his wife, Jean,; daughters Erica Meers (Tim), Cheryl Iverson and Rachel Iverson; grandchildren James Ivar Meers (Jessica), Samuel Anderson Meers (Megan), Caroline Iverson and Lindsey Iverson; great grandchildren Lennox Meers and Raelynn Meers; and nieces Jackie Iverson (Jake) and Kristy Iverson.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 10 a.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 731 Peachtree Street, Atlanta. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

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