Creech, Doris and Ivey

The Lives and Legacy of Doris Rudean Boyette and Robert Ivey Creech

Doris Rudean Boyette was born in Johnston County on December 24, 1922, on Route #2 Kenly, NC, on what is today Glendale Road. She was the second of six children born to Lillian Woodard Boyette and David Larkin Boyette. She spent her entire childhood on the family farm where she attended and graduated from Glendale school in 1940. After graduating from Glendale Doris attended Greensboro Woman's College.

Robert Ivey Creech was born in Johnston County on May 29, 1920, on Route #2, Kenly, NC, on what is today Creech Road. He was the fifth of nine children born to Zilphia Aby Creech and Joseph Haywood Creech. He spent his entire childhood on the family farm where he attended a small school close to home, and later attended and graduated from Glendale school in 1938. After high school Ivey attended Business School in Richmond, Virginia.

Doris and Ivey were attracted to one another while in high school at Glendale. From what has been passed down, Doris saw Ivey playing baseball one afternoon, and the homerun he hit started a romance that lasted the lifetime for the two of them.

On January 23, 1941, Doris and Ivey were married, and started farming on the Creech Homeplace farm, just across the field from Ivey's parent's home. They lived in a house on a piece of land given to Ivey by his parents. Their first child, Phyllis Marie Creech was born March 4, 1942, and their second child, David Haywood Creech was born September 27, 1943.

Duty called and off to war Ivey went, leaving Doris and two young children behind, but well taken care of by family and friends. Ivey spent his World War II years in Switzerland and Italy as a supply sergeant in support of a reconnance unit for the U.S. Army.

Upon returning from the war Ivey attended an Agricultural School and then Doris and Ivey built a new home on the farm. They immediately added other children to their family with the birth of Robert Denis Creech on August 29, 1947 and the birth of Jeffrey Owen Creech on April 23, 1953.

They spent most of the remainder of their lives working on, and growing the farm they always called home. Their farm consisted of tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans, a garden, a mule named Kate, a cow, chickens, and hogs. Doris and Ivey, along with all the children worked daily on the farm, but school and education was always the priority for the children. Doris and Ivey increased their chicken business on the farm to an egg production business during the 1950’s and 1960’s peaking in the early 1970’s at approximately 7,000 laying hens.

All of the children had now left the farm and Doris and Ivey decided it was time to slow down a little. The first to go were the chickens, then the daily summer routine of tobacco. They eventually leased the farm and spent many more years enjoying each other and their vacation trips together. Family was always first, and nothing kept them from making time for their children and families, which grew to son-in-law, daughter-in-laws, and many grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The only thing that possibly would get between Doris and Ivey and family time would be Sunday morning at Creeches Primitive Baptist Church, where they were active members until their death. Another favorite social activity of Doris and Ivey were their days working at Kenly Auto Auction and the many wonderful friends they made there later in life.

Their lives were spent together enjoying each other, their families and friends, and the happiness of others. They worked extremely hard to set the correct example and standards for their family, and NEVER had anything bad to say of their fellow man. They lived on the farm that they spent their lives on to the very end.

Ivey passed away on August 25, 2004

Doris passed away on April 23, 2010