Iva Naomi Adams, born Iva Naomi Yeager in Plentywood, Montana February 12, 1921 died peacefully on May 18, 2021 in Nampa, Idaho, spread her wings and joined her many loved ones in the great beyond. She was born to John Elias Yeager (Arkansas) and Ruby Alice Wolfe (Missouri), second child with two siblings, Mildred Cecil Fisher (deceased) and John Gilbert Yeager (98) of Salem, Oregon. Mom grew up on a small homestead outside of Plentywood, attended a one-room school, milking cows from age 6 among many other farming chores. Even during the Depression years their big garden kept food on the table, although she did help drive some of their cattle to town where they were sold to the government for a pittance and then destroyed under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. Mom --rode their horse, Star, bareback to get the mail a mile from their house --played horseshoes and shot many gophers with Grandpa's .22, earning a few cents a tail --popped a fuzzy chick into her mouth to see what it felt like --teased the neighbor's bull by spreading some gopher blood nearby and ran like heck --got chased to a big pile of rocks near their home by a wild stallion guarding his harem --was rescued by Grandpa when the snow piled high as they walked home from school where winter snow was deep, and temperatures easily dropped down to -40 --recalled Grandpa picked up coal on top of the ground to heat their stove --remembers Grandma during the Dust Bowl years calling for her to leave the calves and get inside just as a black cloud of dust approached turning day to night as they crammed wet towels against the window cracks to keep the dust out After their well went dry they moved west for a year in Kalispell, Montana and then on to Bend, Oregon in 1935 where there were jobs in the mills. Mom graduated from Bend High School, worked in a soda shop in Bend, hiring on at a Portland Aircraft Plant during WWII helping build the amphibious PBY Catalina. She proudly kept her ID badge, tools and toolbox from that experience. She remembers hearing Frank Sinatra singing on a corner in Portland one day. She and gal friends impulsively signed up with the Coast Guard but were not called up due to the end of the war, luckily for her as she couldn't stand having her head under water. After the war she returned to Bend, Oregon where she met and married Thomas Dewhurst, a WWII veteran, in 1946 and their family quickly grew with Lloyd born in 1947, JoAnn in 1950. Dad used the GI Bill attending Oregon State and began a career as a civil engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation and with Mom as home maker took them from Kennewick, Washington to Prineville, Oregon in the 1950's, then to Afghanistan to work on the Helmand Valley Project for 6 years in the 1960's. Highlights of some of their travels included visiting the Taj Mahal, the Holy Land, Egypt and the Pyramids, Rome, Athens, Norway and Dad's family roots, exotic sights in Japan and Thailand. Jobs in Baker, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and Denver completed my dad's career and they retired and built their dream home in Bend, Oregon in the mid 1970's where she lost Dad to cancer in 1979. Reconnecting with childhood friends Mom remarried to Jack (Elvin) Adams in 1981. After his retirement from Pacific Power in Oregon they owned and managed an apartment complex in Bend for a few years and then began to travel extensively throughout the United States with Alpenlite groups. Jack's huge family of 22 siblings made for grand reunions. Jack and Mom later moved to Nampa, ID and Mom moved in with us after Jack died, where she was confidentially considered to be "the perfect mother-in-law." Mom was active in a service sorority, loved family gatherings and camping, bowling and golf, played bridge and loved square dancing in younger years, enjoyed Scrabble and Skipbo, could be heard to say, "Oh, for corn's sake!", enjoyed gardening, walking, and especially loved to travel with Dad and then with my stepdad, Jack Adams. Mom's quiet faith helped sustain her through early losses of Dad and my brother, both when quite young. She was baptized in The Big Muddy River in Montana as a child and again by her Uncle Albert Wolfe in the Deschutes River outside of Bend, Oregon as a young woman. Her family attended the Pentecostal Church in Bend and she and husband, Jack Adams (d. 2013), made Bethel Nazarene Church in Nampa, Idaho their last church home. Living 100 years plus three months, she is survived by her brother, John G. Yeager - 98 (Pam) of Salem, OR; daughter JoAnn Koozer (Gene) of Nampa, Idaho; step-daughter Darlene Goats(Larry) of Springfield, OR; step-son Harvey Adams of LaPine, OR; daughter-in-law Terryl Anderson Dewhurst (Lloyd d. 2005)) of Hillsboro, OR; grandchildren: Kathryn Koozer (Riley Naimi) of Seattle, WA, Daniel Koozer of Eugene, OR, Chad Dewhurst (Stacy) of Hillsboro, OR, Erik Dewhurst (Lynne) of Portland, OR, Keeley Vaughn(Jason) of Sherwood, OR, Heather Parish(JP) of Hillsboro, OR, Tammy Adler of Goldendale, WA; several great grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews, and many cousins very dear to her. Special Thank-you's -to Gene Koozer, for his steady presence as we cared for Mom, providing all of our outside needs during this pandemic -to the Encompass Home Health and Hospice team of Nampa, ID, women with compassionate hearts and gentle hands -to Mom's friends, Barbara Eshelman and John Taylor, for phoning her regularly -to step-daughter and husband, Darlene and Larry Goats and best friends, Bob and Marilyn Kukachka for their constant support -to her grandchildren, Daniel Koozer, Katie Koozer and husband, Riley Naimi, for Skyping with her often and Mom making us laugh as she would always tell them when we would exit Skype, "Drive carefully as you go home!" In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to local food banks during this time of great stress on families during the pandemic.
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