Hilde Louise Ivanov
June 23, 1930 ~ March 3, 2024
Born in:
Rewinkle, Germany
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville- Hilde Louise Ivanov passed away peacefully in her sleep March 3, 2024 with her two daughters by her side. Born June 23, 1930, in Rewinkle, Germany to Reinhold and Luise Kruger. Today she is walking on streets of gold in the presence of her Savior Jesus Christ. She loved to quote a verse from a German hymn, “Through many trials our gracious Father sheltered us under His wing.” Then she would put her hand on her hip and declare, “And boy did he have his hands full with us!”
Her family was displaced at the end of World War 2 and migrated to Muhlen Eichsen, East Germany. From Muhlen Eichsen, she snuck out of communist Germany into the free west where she stayed with her sister-in-law. When the border between the east and west became impermeable, Hilde and her friend decided, “since we can’t go back home, let’s go to Canada”, and they embarked on the ship Columbia June 1952. She later admitted that she didn’t think it would make it across the ocean. It was in Toronto, Canada that she met the love of her life, Metodi Ivanov, a political refugee from Bulgaria. Together, they decided if they wanted a family, they would have to make their own.
Hilde and Metodi later settled in Akron, Ohio where they worked together as residential builder, painter and wallpaper hanger. Hilde was nicknamed “Eagle Eye” for her attention to detail. Hilde taught herself to speak and write in the Bulgarian language. As Metodi’s passion to speak against war and violence propelled him to write, Hilde translated his work from Bulgarian to English and then to German. Her only complaint was, “Why can’t we write about pretty, happy things?” Even so, she was a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother, giving sacrificially of herself and all she had for the love of others. Everyone was welcomed into her home and heart, and if you left hungry, it was not from lack of abundance.
Hilde’s peaceful spirit was seen to the end when Alzheimer’s disease stole her ability to tell witty jokes or recount stories of the past. Her kindness and personality continued to bless those who lovingly served her in her last years of decline, first Susan and Matthew who dedicated years to her care and, at the end, the staff at Aston Park in Asheville where they treated her like their own grandmother. Our thanks for their ministry extends far beyond what any words could express.
Hilde is preceded into Heaven by her infant daughter Deborah Ann and her adoring husband Metodi Ivanov. Her living legacy is her beloved daughters and their husbands, Karen and Gene Talbott and Susan and Matthew Karcher; her nine grandchildren and their spouses, Patricia and Richard Wise, Michael and Jenny Talbott, Daniel and Amy Talbott, Lucas and Erin Karcher, Charity and Kristofer Pfenning, Melody and David Charbonneau, Ross Karcher, Joshua and Hannah Talbott, and Christa Talbott, as well as her 19 great-grandchildren. May her legacy of love for God, for her family, and for others live on through us.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church with Father Adrian Porras officiating. The family will receive friends at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Friday, March 15 from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM. A Divine Mercy Chaplet will be said at 5:30. Burial will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hendersonville following the Memorial Mass.
Services
Memorial Mass: March 16, 2024 1:00 pm
St. Barnabas Catholic Church
109 Crescent Hill Road
Arden, NC 28704
828-684-6098
http://www.stbarnabasarden.org
Visitation: March 15, 2024 5:00 pm
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian
72 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704
(828)687-3530
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
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We so enjoyed having Hilde at Day Stay. She was always smiling and very quick witted. Always pleasant and kind to others. Our prayers and sympathy go out to the family.