Iva Dean Daugherty, 69, of North Spring, WV, was born December 23, 1956, in Pilgrim, Kentucky, and passed away on October 2, 2026, at Logan Center in Logan, WV. Ivy loved the Lord and believed in His promises to His children—the promise of eternal life, of a place prepared for us, and of a day when there will be no more pain, sorrow or tears. On October 2, those promises became real for Ivy as she left behind the struggles of this life and entered her heavenly home. But before that homecoming came a life worth remembering. Iva Dean was strong and independent, stubborn and, when the mood struck her, just a little ornery. She had strong opinions and wasn’t afraid to share them. Of course, convincing Iva Dean that one of those opinions might possibly be wrong was a challenge all its own. And “no” was never exactly her favorite answer. She had a way of speaking plainly and getting straight to the point that most people simply couldn’t get away with—but somehow, Ivy could. Those who knew and loved her expected nothing less. She loved to laugh, loved to tell a story and could find humor in the ordinary. She was a jokester by nature, and over the years she gave her family and friends plenty of stories of their own to keep telling. Some will bring laughter, some will bring tears, and many will probably do both. Ivy worked hard all her life and enjoyed the things that hard work allowed her to have. She appreciated nice things, knew quality when she saw it, and wasn’t one to settle for less—which may explain why retirement didn’t exactly mean she quit working. After all, good stuff ain’t cheap. That same eye for quality and beauty followed her into the kitchen. Ivy loved to bake, and her cakes, cheesecakes and peanut butter balls were every bit as good as they looked. And with Ivy, they absolutely had to look good. A cake couldn’t simply taste delicious; it needed to look like it belonged in a bakery window in Paris. She had an eye for presentation and appreciated that same attention to detail everywhere she found it. Ivy also loved to get out and go. She looked forward to trips to visit her cousins, girls’ trips to Pigeon Forge and family vacations at the beach. Wherever she went, there was usually a little shopping involved—especially if there was a nice pocketbook to be found. But Ivy could enjoy hunting for a bargain just as much as something fancy. She loved a good yard sale, wandering through an antique store, and finding that one little treasure someone else might have passed by. Add a good cup of coffee to the day, and Ivy was pretty content. For many years, another big part of Ivy’s life could be found in the classroom. She spent most of her teaching career educating children in Mingo County, where she was known simply as Mrs. Daugherty. She cared about her kids, expected a lot from them and wasn’t afraid to push them when she knew they could do better. Her students grew up, had families and lives of their own, but to many of them she never stopped being Mrs. Daugherty. Ivy’s love for animals was just as much a part of her story. Dogs held a special place in her heart, and after retiring from teaching, she spent years grooming them. As often happens when you care for someone’s four-legged family, many of the people who first came through her door as customers became friends. And then there were the chickens—Ivy loved her chickens, too. For all the places she went and all the things she enjoyed, family held the most important place in Ivy’s heart. As with all families, there were struggles and differences along the way, and sometimes distance kept her from those she loved and from being part of memories she wished she could have shared. But neither differences nor miles changed the love she carried for them. She missed them, kept them in her heart and prayed for them always. Her husband, Butch, was beside her as life began to change, and as the years brought challenges of their own, Adam became her constant. He was there through the ordinary days and the difficult ones, becoming not only a son, but a caregiver, advocate and someone she could always depend on. There are some kinds of love that are spoken, and others that are simply lived. Adam lived his—by showing up, staying close and walking beside his mom when she needed him most. The later years of Ivy’s life asked something especially difficult of a woman who had always been so fiercely independent. A stroke changed much of what she had once been able to do for herself, and eventually she had to depend on others in ways that surely never came easily to her. Life became quieter and her world became smaller, but those years could never diminish the life she had already lived or the woman she had always been. Ivy was still Ivy—the teacher her students remembered, the storyteller who could make a room laugh, the woman who appreciated something beautiful, loved a good pocketbook and could spot quality a mile away. She was still the baker whose treats had to taste good and be pretty, the animal lover, the traveler, the wife, the mother and the woman whose strong will had carried her through a lifetime. And perhaps that strong will carried her as far as it needed to. On October 2, the struggles of this life were finished, and the promises she had believed in became hers. Those who loved Ivy are left with an empty place that cannot be filled, but also with a lifetime of stories worth telling—some that will bring tears, many that will bring laughter and a few that probably shouldn’t be told in church. For those who loved Ivy, October 2 was a goodbye. For Ivy, it was the homecoming she had been promised. Ivy is preceded in death by her parents, Liddie and Leroy Neace; her brothers, Phillip Neace and Carlos Howell; her sisters, Pearlie Crouse and Loretta Lynn Neace; and her special uncle, Milford Howell. Left to cherish Ivy’s memory are her husband of 53 years, Buford “Butch” Daugherty; her son, Adam (Jamie) Daugherty; her daughter, Victoria Christian; her brothers, Roy Neace, Greg Neace and Sammy Neace; and her grandchildren, Jacob (Taylor), whom she lovingly called “Bird,” Lilly Rasmussen, Wyatt Regan and Damien Christian. She also leaves behind her special niece, Kayla Kennedy (Mitchell), whose children, Ivory and Drake Kennedy, were also her grandchildren; special cousin, Wilma Mullins; and many other family members and friends who will carry her memory with them. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Logan Center and its staff for the extraordinary care they provided Ivy and, most importantly, for treating her like family. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, October 7th, at Little Cub Missionary Baptist Church, North Spring, WV. Friends may gather with the family from 12:00 pm until time of service on Wednesday at the church. Ivy will be laid to rest in the Daugherty Family Cemetery, North Spring, WV. She will be carried to her final resting place by special friends and family. The family is being served by the Stafford Family Funeral Home, Lynco, WV.