Iris (Thomas) Wells

 Iris Wells passed away March 11th, 2023 at Levine & Dickson Hospice House at Southminster.  Born in Akron, Ohio on April 25, 1926, Iris was the daughter of Henry Thomas and Hazel Bryson Thomas.  Later the family relocated to Gadsden, Alabama.  She was married May 8, 1949 to Robert R. Wells, her husband of 62 years, who preceded her in death January 1, 2012.  Her daughter, Sherry Wells Rice, preceded her in death on May 14, 2020. 

 Survivors are Pamela Wells Mobley, her husband Marcus Mobley, and son-in-law Robert Rice, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Iris graduated from Gadsden High School and worked at Goodyear.  During this time, she was also active in the USO during WWII.  After the war, Iris and Bob were married and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee.  There they were both active at Northside Baptist Church and later attended First Presbyterian Church.  In 2008 both Iris and Bob moved to Matthews, N.C. to be closer to their adult children.

Iris was a helper.  She was a giver.  She made rice pudding or baked ham for those grieving in the neighborhood over loss of loved ones.  She gave of her time as PTO room mother for the classes of her two daughters.  She volunteered in the local hospital.  She cooked and cleaned for her family every day, painting rooms, decorating the home, and working in the yard.  During this time, Iris studied and passed her real estate license.  She worked for a couple of years with her friend Daisy.  They were known in the office as the flower children.  She loved a BLT sandwich, sharing them with several through the years.  Once a Vietnamese young girl walked up to her in a store asking for help from her abusive GI soldier husband.  Iris helped her learn and apply for a driver’s license, get a Volkswagen Beetle, and went to a local pencil factory to ask the CEO for a job for the young girl.  Iris helped her and others to reframe their lives.

A graveside service to celebrate the life of Iris Wells will take place on Wednesday, March 15, at 11:30 at Sharon Memorial Park with Dr. Matt Brown officiating.  Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

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