Reef C. Ivey - 1943-2009

Reef Challance Ivey, II, went to be with his Lord and Savior on March 5, 2009, after a long and heroic battle with cancer. At his death, he was at home surrounded by his loving family.

Reef was born on January 26, l943, in Wadesboro, NC, to Ethel Rivers Ivey and Reef Challance Ivey. He grew up in Lumberton, where he became an Eagle Scout and was named "outstanding athlete of the year" at Lumberton High School.

Reef was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but chose to attend N.C. State University, graduating in l965 with a degree in experimental statistics. From there he went on to Law School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in l968. Reef was licensed to practice law in North Carolina, New York, Illinois, and Oklahoma. He was also licensed to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court. Reef spent 25 years away from his home state building an impressive resume. His first jobs were in New York with Manufacturer's Hanover Trust Co. and Dairylea Cooperative Inc. He then served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City. In 1973 he joined Pepsi Co. Within a short period of time, Reef was promoted to Corporate Counsel with one of PepsiCo's subsidiaries, Wilson Sporting Goods. He returned to the parent company in International Law, first as Area Counsel in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, then as Vice-President of World Trade. His next position was that of Senior Vice-President, General Counsel for Wilson Foods. Following that, Reef went into teaching, as a Professor of Law at Pace University School of Law and Rutgers School of Law. His last position before returning to North Carolina was as a principal owner of Nutri/System Inc., one of the largest professionally supervised weight loss programs in the world.

Reef then returned to Raleigh, in 1993 to practice law. For the past seven years he was with Kieran Shanahan at The Shanahan Law Group. Reef was a strong Christian who made Christ, charity and children his top priorities. Since moving to Raleigh, Reef has been an active member of White Memorial Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday School and serving on various committees. Reef was well known for his commitment to personal philanthropy. He kept a quote on his desk: "Man owes man something, and the quality of the gift is the measure of the man." He lived that quote with his many philanthropic endeavors, including the Reef C. Ivey II Foundation, a 501c charity dedicated to helping underprivileged children, established in 1988. Reef had strong community ties. He was a member of the N.C. Agribusiness Council, The N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, The Board of Directors of the North Carolina Outward Bound School, The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, The Foundation Board of Rex Health Care and The President's Council of the American Lung Association of North Carolina. At N.C. State University, Reef was the first Chairman of the Board of Visitors. In support of his alma mater, he chaired Citizens for N.C. State University during the 1993 bond referendum and served on the Executive Committee of the Economic Development Coalition 2000. He was founder and Chair of The State Club, a private dining facility located in the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center on N.C. State's Centennial Campus. He also served on the Centennial Authority for the RBC Center.

Reef was recognized by several organizations for his business and philanthropic contributions, including Business Leader's "Impact 100", a list honoring exceptional individuals within the Triangle community, The Triangle Business Journal as "one of the most influential lawyers' in 1998 and by the N.C. State Alumni Association with its 2008 Meritorious Service Award.

Reef Ivey is survived by his wife, Donna K. Ivey, and children of the home, Reef C Ivey, IV, Raines C. Ivey and Remington C. Ivey. His eldest son, Lt. Reef C. "Tucker" Ivey, III is currently serving in the U.S. Army. His former stepdaughter, Meredith Lockhart, lives in Malvern, PA. The family would like to thank Pastor Art Ross of White Memorial Presbyterian Church, our Saint David's School family, and all of our friends for their prayers and generosity. We extend a special thanks to Dr. Ben Calvo, Jane Maland and the fourth floor Anderson North staff at UNC Hospitals for their extraordinary care. We also greatly appreciate the care and compassion provided by Wake County Hospice and Dr. Mitch Hardison.

The family will have visitation from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2009 at their home located at 3216 Sussex Drive in Raleigh. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2009 at the White Memorial Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to Hospice of Wake County, or to The Reef C. Ivey, II Foundation, attention Sondra Collins, North State Bank, P.O. Box 18367, Raleigh, NC 27619. Funeral services arranged by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Wake Forest Rd. Raleigh.