Obituary of Ida Howell Friday

The indomitable Ida Howell Friday passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones, Monday, February 6, 2017. She had a wonderful life for 97 years and exemplified the best of the Greatest Generation. Ida was strong, determined and accomplished and lived her life with grace and compassion. She influenced countless lives, transformed her community, and leaves a legacy of activism. Born Ida Willa Howell on December 22, 1919 in Sumter, South Carolina, her North Carolina story began in Lumberton. In a different generation, her talent on the basketball court might have led her in a different direction. She graduated from Meredith College in Raleigh in 1941 with a Bachelors of Arts in Home Economics. Ida married William Clyde Friday in 1942 after meeting him on a blind date. After World War II she and Bill settled in Chapel Hill where she earned a Masters in the School of Public Health in 1948. There she studied under Dr. Lucy Morgan whose influence was so profound that decades later Ida endowed a scholarship to honor her former professor. As of 2016, 71 students have benefited from this scholarship. Ida and Bill, who served as President of the University of North Carolina, were married for 70 years and raised three daughters, Fran, Mary, and Betsy. The influence of their partnership began with family and friends, but extended to the worldwide network of the university and the state. Their leadership and hospitality at the university spanned 30 years and shaped the lives of countless young people who found a home at the University of North Carolina. Throughout her life, Ida's activism encompassed a commitment to: women's issues, social justice, historic preservation, and public health. She was resolute and had the courage to stand up for what was right even when it was not convenient, or when it was contrary to the social mores of the day. Ida was a founding member of the Community Church established in 1953 in order to embrace people of all backgrounds, races, and creeds. As the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment raged, at a formal university dinner, Ida was seated next to a gentleman who declared, "I would not want to have to eat next to one of those women libbers." Ida smiled and replied, "then you better move." Ida was an innovator who helped redirect the Women's Center, now known as the Compass Center for Women and Families. She worked with others to create the Chapel Hill Preservation Society and indulged her lifelong passion for dance and the arts by serving on the American Dance Festival National Board. Ida traveled the world and understood how art and culture enhance the well-being of any community. Ida was a visionary but her impact was also deeply personal. According to her dear friend, Georgia Kyser, "Thanks to Ida, I became more aware of my own responsibility as a citizen to learn as much as possible about candidates and to vote." Ida also had a lighter side-- she laughed every time she used those cocktail napkins that said, "Ida and What's His Name." Ida's activism was stilled in the last decade of her life by dementia, but she found joy in making pottery and jewelry and playing catch with her great-grandchildren. Her lasting gift to all she touched is reflected in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "the purpose of life…. is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." The life of Ida Friday is a testament to a life well- lived. The family thanks the wonderful team that took care of Ida: LaVerne Candelori, Lesa Fleming, Mary Horton, Lisa Durham, Ebony Durham, Doris Cates. Ida was predeceased by her husband, Bill and her daughter Betsy. She is survived by her daughters Fran Friday (Jack Mullen) and Mary Leadbetter (Jon), her grandchildren Miranda Shook (Tristan) and Walker Mullen (Viviana) and her great-grandchildren Wiley, Margot, and Emma. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts should be directed to the William and Ida Friday Fund for Lifelong Learning at the Friday Center, 100 Friday Center Drive, Campus Box 1020, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1020 or online at www.fridaycenter.unc.edu/gift/. Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill is honored to serve the Friday family. Online condolences may be offered at www.walkersfuneralhome.com.