Ike Avery was born September 21, 1931, in Wills Point to Booker T. and Dess Avery. He was the fourth of five children.

Ike received his early education in the public schools of Wills Point and Terrell. He graduated from Burnett High School in Terrell in 1949. He attended Butler College in Tyler and received a Bachelor of Science degree. He received a Master’s degree from Texas College in Tyler. He did post-graduate work at North Texas State and West Texas State University.

Sandwiched between those years of education, Ike was called to duty and served two years in the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged as a corporal in 1955. While stationed at Fort Lee, Va., he enjoyed playing football on the military football team.

Ike worked in the field of education for 40 years. His first four years were spent in Shamrock, where he taught grades 7 to 9, coached and drove the school bus. Upon moving to Amarillo, he worked at North Heights followed by nine years at Carver Jr. High school. At Carver, Ike worked as a teacher, counselor and coach. In 1970 he was transferred to Palo Duro High School as an assistant principal. He spent 26 years in that capacity. He remembered the ups and downs of desegregating the school during those times. He was in the very midst of it and recalled those years vividly.

While at Palo Duro, Ike was inducted into the “Dons Hall of Fame” in 1998. This honor is one that had previously been awarded to Palo Duro graduates only.

Ike retired from Amarillo Independent School District in 1996. He enjoyed gardening, his 1959 Ford and doing work at his beloved Mount Zion Baptist Church. He was a faithful member of Mount Zion for 50 years, where he served as Sunday school superintendent, teacher and a loyal deacon.

Ike was a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Classic Rollers Car Club, where he enjoyed sharing tales about his beloved ’59 Ford.

Ike married his college sweetheart, Delois Price, in Terrell in 1953 and to this union one daughter, Ika Karmaine Avery, was born.

Survivors include his loving and devoted wife, Delois Avery; one daughter, Ika Bly and husband Reginald of Oklahoma City; and a host of nieces, great-nieces and nephews, relatives, special friends and neighbors.