Ray Phillips Ivie

Ray Phillips Ivie passed away July 21, 2022 – surrounded by his children – following a short illness at Mountain Point Medical Center.

Ray (known to many as Phil) was born November 5, 1955, in Provo, Utah, the third child of Ray Harding Ivie and Joy Phillips Ivie. He graduated from Provo High School in 1974, and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Utah in 1978. He established in these early years a passion for theater productions and debate competitions, which prepared him for a lifetime of excellence in public speaking and changing his world with language – from his powerful presence in the courtroom, to deeply moving personal storytelling and tributes delivered to friends and loved ones throughout his life.

He graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon in 1981, and went on to join his father as a partner at the family law firm, Ivie and Young. For nearly 40 years, Ray carried on his father’s legacy as a successful personal injury attorney at the Provo firm, retiring just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to care for his health. And while he built an illustrious career and was admired and beloved by the Utah law community, Ray believed his true calling was to acts of service outside of his work. He believed that his purpose on Earth was to help others the way he’d been helped when he needed it most, and he woke every day with a goal of making the world and lives of others “just a little better” than they were the day before.

He lived by the principles of love, service, and kindness, and in turn looked for any opportunity to serve others. His altruism was unparalleled, and his selflessness went beyond giving people “the shirt off his back” – he created space in his life, in his home, and in his chosen family for anyone who needed love, guidance, or a second chance. He was gentle and accepting with all people. He was a man who seemed to always have the right words for anyone who needed them, yet firmly believed that his actions – not his words – were most important to helping others.

But that doesn’t mean his words were for naught. He was a fountain of wisdom thanks to his range of life experience and encyclopedic brain (history, music, and politics, mostly), and he had a sharp and enduring sense of humor. His biting wit stayed strong through his last days when he made jokes to nurses and medical staff amid their tireless care. His words, his voice, and his laugh will live on in the minds and hearts of all those he touched. Just as he’d wished, he leaves everyone in his life “just a little better” for having known him.

Ray many years ago dedicated himself to the hard work of recovery from alcoholism, and in May marked his 19th “birthday” of sobriety. His family holds great pride in his dedication to this lifelong work, for his own health and wellbeing and for the health and wellbeing of others. Ray would want anyone reading this and struggling with their own challenges to know that there is honor in seeking help, and in practicing rigorous honesty, and that everyone is worth believing in. As he succinctly wrote himself, “When I look for the good in people, I feel good.”

Among those lives he touched most were those of his three children, by whom he is survived: son Sean James Marx Ivie, and daughters Erin Joy Ivie (husband Sean Maher) and Macael Jordyn Ivie. He is also survived by his sister, Shannon Brande, and he was preceded in death by his parents and his eldest sister, Joan Slagle. Ray did not yet have grandchildren, but he prepared for the role with aplomb, sharpening his decades of dad jokes into grandpa jokes that he practiced on his grandpups, Finn, Nikita, and Biscuits.

A celebration of Ray’s life will be held from 11am-1:30pm on Thursday, July 28th at The Manor at the Riverwoods in Provo (4801 N. University Ave #370). Ray was a laid-back, easygoing, “come one, come all” type of guy, and he would ask that his celebration be the same way. Guests are asked to come as they are, no dress code necessary, and to bring stories to share with all who loved Ray. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bergmortuary.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests an act of service to honor Ray – volunteer work, donations to a charitable organization, or any other action that supports those in need.