Adelaide Veronica Iverson
Aug. 17, 1912-Dec. 20, 2017
Menlo Park, California
Adelaide Iverson passed away at her Menlo Park home on December 20, 2017. She was 105 years old.
Adelaide was born on August 17th, 1912 in Oketo, Kansas, the daughter of Paul and Veronica Schmitt. Her parents were educators and every week her father brought home a book for each of his four daughters, fueling a life-long passion for learning that all four sisters shared. Adelaide graduated from Central State Teachers College, now Central Michigan University, in 1933 and received a master’s degree in history from the University of Michigan. She began her teaching career in Grosse Point, Michigan where she met the love of her life, fellow teacher Bill Iverson. Adelaide and Bill married in September of 1942 while Bill was in the army, and though they remained separated for much of World War II, they sustained their relationship through daily correspondence. In one of his letters, Bill wrote, “Sometimes I think that out of trying times may come a timeless purity which we will always hold in our hearts.”
In 1946, Bill began graduate work at Stanford University and during those early campus years, the Iverson’s forged lifelong friendships with several Stanford families including the Hofstadters, the Chodorows, the Schiffs, the Pindars and many more. When Bill joined the faculty in 1950, Adelaide supported his work by hosting student and faculty gatherings and typing Bill’s manuscripts.
Her life was one of service to family, friends and community. She was active in the League of Women Voters, serving as president of her local chapter. Among her many volunteer activities, she was particularly proud of tutoring women at the San Mateo County Jail. In her later years, she would travel to the Stanford campus to read to her close friends. When she quit driving at the age of 90, she kept up her weekly visits by taking cabs, prompting one driver to comment, “You sure know your way around this campus. Did you know Leland Stanford?” She may not have known Stanford’s founder, but she was a passionate supporter of all things Stanford, particularly its sport teams, attending well over one thousand football, basketball and baseball games. When she was 95, she threw out the first pitch at a Stanford baseball game, prompting then Coach Mark Marquess to note that she had a pretty good arm.
The family is deeply grateful to Adelaide’s caregiving team who provided wonderful home care during her final years. She is survived by her sons Peter, David and Paul, their wives Kaaren, Lynn and Yoko, her grandchildren Erika, Jens, Laura and Ayuko, her great grandchildren Freya, Ada, Hannah and William and caregivers Eileen Khan and Sinai Latu. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 25th at 2pm at the Stanford Memorial Church. To honor her remarkable life, the family suggests donating to the League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County Education Fund, PO Box 2244, Menlo Park, CA 94026 or to the Catholic Community at Stanford University, P.O. Box 20301, Stanford, CA 94309.
Tags: public service
