Alice Caroline Willis (1924-2010)

WILLIS, BOZARTH, LEFEVRE

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 2/14/2010 at 19:30:48

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Friday, February 12, 2010.

Alice Caroline Willis, 85, retired social worker, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, at Ramsey Village in Des Moines. Alice was ill with emphysema during the winter of 2009-10 and was in the hospital for several weeks. Shortly after leaving the hospital and moving into assisted living at Ramsey, she died of cardiac arrest. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, 1800 Bell Ave., in Des Moines.

Alice was born Aug. 18, 1924, in Waseca, Minn., the daughter of Harriet (Bozarth) Willis and Benjamin Sutton Willis. She grew up in Ames and attended Iowa State University. During World War II she worked at the Todd Shipyards in Seattle building destroyers. She later described this as the best job she ever had ... but after the war, all the women were laid off. After graduating from ISU, Alice worked at Cherokee State Hospital, then attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned a master’s degree in social work. She lived in Des Moines for most of her adult life and worked for the Iowa Department of Children and Family Services.

Alice was a dedicated member of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines for almost 50 years. She volunteered for several community organizations, including the Iowa Genealogical Society. She was a skilled photographer and won several awards for her photographs. Alice also loved to read and was a longtime member of a book club. She especially liked mystery novels and poetry, and was very knowledgeable about writers from Iowa and the Midwest.

Surviving family includes a sister, Marian LeFevre, of Newton, Mass.; a brother, John Willis, of St. Louis, Mo.; a nephew; four nieces; and two grandnieces.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Unitarian Church of Des Moines or a charity of the donor’s choice.

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