Ella M. Ivory, a community leader and a retired English teacher for the School District of Philadelphia, died Nov. 1. She was 82. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., sang with various choirs in church in Pennsylvania, and was a guest soloist in the “Messiah” at Union Baptist Temple in Atlantic City, N.J. She was born July 8, 1942, in Halifax, N.C., and attended public schools in Halifax County. She graduated from Ralph J. Bunche High School before enrolling at Elizabeth City State University, where she majored in English and sang as a member and soloist of the concert and traveling choir. Following graduation, she actively promoted the university’s ideals as president of the Robert E. Harvey Tri-State Alumni chapter, representing alumni from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. She was chairperson of the annual scholarship luncheon and was the corresponding secretary until her death. “She was thoughtful and caring about the health of others and would call frequently to let you know that you were in her thoughts and prayers,” her family said in a tribute. At an early age, she joined First Baptist Church in Halifax and studied piano. She began playing for the junior choir at First Baptist and nearby churches in North Carolina and enjoyed performing spiritual hymns and Christmas melodies for her family during home gatherings. After returning to Philadelphia from college, she joined Beulah Baptist Church on Spruce Street, where she sang in the choir. Subsequently, she sang in the choir of Mount Carmel Baptist Church and attended virtual Sunday morning programs. She was also a member of the Clayton White Singers and, separately, the W. Russell Johnson Musical Guild of Philadelphia. After graduating from college, she began her teaching career in Portsmouth, Virginia. She later returned to Philadelphia and was employed by the School District of Philadelphia as an English teacher. She taught at Tilden Middle School and later at Bartram High School. She retired early from the district to care for her mother, who required full-time medical attention. She was preceded in death by her parents, Cupe L. Austin and Mary Lizzie Ivory Austin, and siblings, Bessie M. Harris, Theresa Spivey and Fred Ivory. She is survived by her siblings, Blanche Bogle, Hayward L. Ivory, Eugene D. Ivory Sr. (Carol) and Mary L. Ivory. Services were held Wednesday at Mount Carmel Baptist Church. Wood Funeral Home Inc. handled the arrangements. Stay informed and connected — subscribe to The Philadelphia Tribune NOW! Click Here Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
https://www.phillytrib.com/obituaries/ella-m-ivory-retired-english-teacher-dies-at-82/article_031bee7a-12ee-4567-b788-bdc85ad4930c.html