Mary Elizabeth Ivancie

IVANCIE, Mary Kimmel Mary Kimmel Ivancie, 83, of Englewood, died Monday, May 10, 2004, at Littleton Adventist Hospital, following a brief illness. She was the wife of Dr. Gerald Paul Ivancie. Born in Sioux City, Iowa, she was the daughter of the late Dr. John Albert Kimmel and the late Loretta 'Retta' Flavia (Gill) Kimmel. Mary was a graduate of Elk Point High School in Elk Point, South Dakota. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Dramatic Arts from The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1943, and continued her studies in Dramatic Arts at the University of California, Berkeley. She taught Speech and Dramatic Arts at the high school level in Minnesota, Red Wing and Austin, Minnesota. Mary and her husband were married in 1948 and moved to Denver in 1958, where they owned and operated Colorado's first bonded commercial winery, Ivancie Wines, from 1968 to 1973. Their wines won International acclaim, and the Ivancies are recognized as the founders of the vineyards in the Grand Junction Valley that support today's Colorado wine industry. In November 2003, the Ivancies were inducted into the Western Colorado Historical Museum for their contributions to the State's wine industry. Mary was a parishioner of St. Thomas More Catholic Church. She and her husband were also active members of Cherry Hills Country Club for more than 30 years. She was a gracious hostess and loved to entertain friends and family at her Englewood home and at her Oberkrain Ranch in Northwestern Colorado. Mary was an avid reader and participated in several Great Books clubs throughout her life. Mary was a cherished mother to her nine children. She is survived by her husband; six daughters, Mayerle Ann Neher of Castle Pines, Elizabeth Ann Kennedy of Grand Junction, Molly Ursula Blackwell of Stuart, Florida, Monica Ann Ruiz of Denver, Mary Katherine Ivancie of Denver, and Anna Margaret Smith of Prairie Village, Kansas; two sons, Stephen Kolar Ivancie of Steamboat Springs and Paul Gill Ivancie of Denver; eight grandchildren; and a sister, Margaret Kimmel Fowler of Elk Point, South Dakota and Bernardsville, New Jersey. Her son, John Kimmel Ivancie, and her brothers, Richard James Kimmel and Dr. John William Kimmel, preceded her in death. Visitation will be held, Wednesday, 2:00 to 7:00 p.m., followed by the Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at the family home. The Funeral Mass will be held Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at Christ The King Catholic Church, 845 Fairfax St., in Denver, with burial at Fairmount Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor.