Obituary of Daisy Izell Gregory

Daisy Izell Gregory, formerly of Kellogg, passed away January 3, 2013, at the age of 99. Funeral Services for Daisy, will be 1:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 7, at the Pence-Reese Funeral Home, with visitation a hour prior to the services. A reception will follow in the Pence Tribute Center. Memorials have been designated in Daisy's Name. Daisy, the daughter of Jasper and Geneva (Boat) Wilson, was born February 26, 1913, in rural Kellogg. She had attended Kellogg rural schools. Daisy was united in marriage with Vernal J. Gregory. They were longtime residents of Kellogg area, where they were members of the First Christian Church. She was employed at One Minute Washer Company in Kellogg for approximately 17 years and served as a spokesperson on behalf of union members. Daisy devoted her life to her husband and family, and will be remembered for her giving spirit, her great sense of humor and zest for life. Daisy enjoyed hobbies such as embroidering pillow cases and painting outdoor scenes on canvass, saw blades, etc. As all her children can attest, she was a great cook and always enjoyed cooking for family gatherings during the holidays. She loved watching cooking shows on TV. She enjoyed traveling and made trips to Minnesota, Indiana, Oregon, Washington and California a number of times to visit her children. Daisy used to dream of playing the piano one day and made sure her children had the opportunity to take music lessons. Most of her grandchildren are involved in music. In fact, two of her grandchildren are professional musicians, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. She has truly been the matriarch of the Gregory family in a very positive way. She was always concerned about and interested in family and others around her. Annual family reunions for the past 13 years have been centered around Daisy and it is a tribute to her that family came from all over the country to be with her. In 1966, Daisy toured the Middle East and Holy Land visiting Lebanon, Syria, Jordon, Israel, Egypt, Italy (Rome) and Greece. She took many slide photographs on that tour and subsequently gave slide presentations to many church and civic groups in Jasper County. It was truly a "once in a lifetime" trip. Those left to honor Daisy's memory are her four children: Leona Kechel, Ft. Wayne, IN; Paul Gregory, Altoona, IA; Dean Gregory, Pleasanton, CA and Ernest Gregory, Oakdale, MN. She has 12 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren (and one more on the way) and 1 great great grandchild. Daisy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Vernal in 1988, a son-in-law, a brother, and a sister. . .