Iris Stevenson Waters

Iris Stevenson Waters

Iris Stevenson Waters, 90, on Dec. 10, 2018 passed from this earthly world to be with her Lord and Savior in His Heavenly Kingdom.

She was born to Bright Livingston Stevenson and Edna Staton on Feb. 20, 1928, in Columbia, S.C. Iris spent most of her adult life in Lighthouse Point, Fla., and Bryson City, N.C., before moving to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, in 2012 to live with her daughter, Blair Willis, and son-in-law, Dr. Stu Willis.

Iris married Everett Bell Waters on Oct. 2, 1947, and they settled for a few years in Columbia, S.C., and Memphis, Tenn., before transitioning to Florida where her husband was a regional sales manager for a clothing manufacturer. Moving to Bryson City for their retirement years, she was a long-term member of the Bryson City Presbyterian Church and active in the community, being particularly fond of the “Red Hat Ladies” group. As an avid grower of various flowers, tress, vegetables, and shrubs she was well known for her eye-catching gardens.

Iris loved telling stories of growing up on a South Carolina dairy farm, being immersed on the one hand in the silliness of her six siblings, while also surrounded by the reserved nature of the old South. One of her greatest thrills was her first and only ride on a Harley at age 86, albeit not solo.

Iris was preceded in death by her husband, her son Louis S. Waters, five sisters and one brother. She is survived by two of her children, Everett B. Waters, Jr. and Blair W. Willis, four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

A memorial service and interment will occur in Bryson City, N.C., in the spring of 2019.