Iva Mae (Ivy) Myers Ruckman
St George writer Ivy Ruckman was born in Hastings, Nebraska, to Joy Uberto and Lena Osgood Myers. She was fortunate to have grown up in a quiet prairie town, where she began to write the action-packed stories that kept going through her mind at a young age. Ivy graduated from Hastings College with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1953 and followed the family legacy of a long line of teachers by accepting a position as an English teacher at a high school in Casper, Wyoming. She met Edgar Heylmun in Casper and they married in 1955 and moved to Salt Lake City. They had two children and were later divorced.
Ivy taught English at Skyline High School from 1962-65 and creative writing from 1970-72. She married Dr. Stuart Allan Ruckman in 1965. They shared many years of adventures while raising three children: camping and boating in Flaming Gorge, skiing, swimming and building a dream home. In the middle of her busy life, Ivy began writing full time in 1974, writing short stories and articles for children’s magazines. When Allan died in a mountaineering accident, Ivy was inspired to write more.
Ivy’s writing career spanned fifteen youth novels and many awards. During her career, she made frequent school visits and spoke at writing workshops across the country. She received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Hastings College; Award for literary contribution from the Mountain Plains Library Association to the complete work; Nebraska Golden Sower Award; Sequoyah Children’s Book Award; Iowa Children’s Choice Award; and nomination for the prestigious Texas Bluebonnet Award. Ivy was a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Utah Children’s Literature Association, the Friends of the Salt Lake County Library System, and the Willa Cather Memorial Foundation. Her best-known book Night of the Twisters was made into a film.
Ivy traveled the world with friends, writing stories in Mykonos, sleeping in tents in Kenya, sailing in Antiqua, shopping in Bangkok and Prague, sightseeing in London and walking the beaches of Aitutaki. She made friends wherever she went and loved to have a good chat over wine and cheese.
She retired to her home in Kayenta near Ivins, Utah, where she loved watching the sun rise over Red Mountain, early morning swimming in the Kayenta pool, and meeting her friends over coffee time. When she moved to Sterling Court Assisted Living, she still loved sitting on her balcony and making up new stories.
Ivy leaves behind her three children Kim (Fred), Bret (Judy) and Stuart (Libby); her grandsons Hillary, Hannah, Allie, and Ellis; Cousin sister Nance Meyer; many nieces and nephews; and her dear friends across the country including Hastings, Salt Lake City, Kayenta and Sterling Court Assisted Living.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Unicef KIND Project or The Nature Conservancy of Utah.
No services will be provided at your request.
Arrangements are made on the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S Bluff Street, St. George, Utah 84770, 435-673-2454. Friends and family are invited to sign up in Iva’s guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com.
Published in Spectrum & Daily News June 11-13, 2021.
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