Ira A.Waldron, 82, passed away on May 7, 2010, with his children at his side. Ira was born in Webb City, Missouri on Feb. 17, 1928 to Ira Orville and Odessa LaFern Waldron. He was raised in this small town in southwest Missouri. Ira attended Eugene Field Elementary School as well as Webb City High School where he went through the Cub and Boy Scout programs. In 1942 the family moved to the Naval Base on Yerba Buena Island near San Francisco. He attended and graduated in 1945 from Mission High School in San Francisco. Ira immediately joined the U.S. Army, and after basic training in Camp Polk, LA, he was shipped to Japan where he rose to the rank of Sergeant. After his tour of duty he was stationed at Ft. Lawton, WA where he was later discharged. Ira then attended and graduated from San Francisco City College where he was a fraternity member of Tau Chi Sigma. Ira later attended University of California at Berkeley. It was here that he and his wonderful wife Annette met on a blind date, and were married three months later. Ira worked for Bethlehem Steel and the U.S. Core of Engineers until 1953 when he joined the Contra Costa Flood Control District in the Bay Area. He remained there and retired 35 years later. During his tenure with the county he and Annette had eight children – Gary, Glenn, Sherrie, twins Renee and Yvonne, Michelle, Monique, and Marcella. The family enjoyed hunting and camping. In 1962 Ira took and passed the State of California test for California Land Surveyor, and spent many years as a land surveyor. He retired from the County in 1988. Ira and Annette moved from Richmond, CA to Vashon, WA in 1995, because Annette wanted to follow her grand kids. Annette called Vashon her Shangri-la. This is where he lost her in 2008. Preceding Ira’s death are his parents, Ira and Odessa, his sister Iris, his loving son Gary and most of all Annette, his wife of 56 years. He is survived by seven children, nine grandchildren and his brother Norman. He was the best dad in the world and will be truly missed by family and friends.
A memorial service with Military Honors will be held near the flagpole at the Vashon Cemetery at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 30.
Please visit the online guest book at www.islandfuneral.com.
(Paid obituary)
