Ida Marie Gott

Our beloved, precious, treasured Ida Marie Everhart Gott, 99 years and 2 months, of New Palestine, Indiana, passed away Saturday morning, September 26, 2026, at the home of her niece in Arlington, Virginia. Her niece and nephew were with her.

After recovering from COVID and COVID pneumonia, Ida developed persistent atrial fibrillation. Ultimately, that heart condition weakened Ida’s heart to the point it stopped on September 26, 2026. She fought health battles from the time she was a toddler, but despite this, through the Grace of God, our precious Ida repeatedly recovered.

Our beloved Ida was a joy every day; fun, witty, clever, and brimming with laughter. Ida, even at 99 and 2 months, was a vibrant life force. She loved life and fought for life with happiness and a certainty of victory. Ida always recovered, bounced back, endured, and overcame. She prayed that God give her strength and God did. Those around Ida saw God’s miracles at work in Ida time and time again. This final time, God called Ida home to her eternal rest.

Our beloved, precious, treasured Ida Marie Everhart Gott was born July 4, 1927, in Laurel County, Kentucky. Ida was a firecracker herself. She loved the nation celebrating its birthday, and hers, with fireworks. She was the daughter of the Reverend John Everhart and Elizabeth McQueen Everhart, and was the fourth of five daughters; Edna Mary, Myrtle Margaret, Bessie Mae, Ida Marie, and Freda Imogene.

At age three, Ida lost her mother to pneumonia. John married again to Nola, and they gave Ida nine more siblings; Hearl, Charles, Jean, Alvey, Robert, Linda Lou, Marie, Chet (Mary), and Avis (John).

The same year that Ida lost her mother, little Ida got a terrible infection on her inner thigh following a life-threatening accident that nearly severed her leg. Doctors wanted to amputate her leg. They said she would never walk again, but Ida’s father said no. “Through the Grace of God, she will walk again. She won’t just walk, she will run.” Ida healed; thank God. Ida walked; praise God. Ida ran; God’s miracle. She endured pain in that leg all her life, but Ida’s joy and zest for life overcame the pain.

Ida was a hardheaded go-getter with an indomitable spirit and will of steel. She was determined to fulfil her father’s promise and she did. She adored her father, mother, grandmother, her aunt Bessie, and uncle John. Ida’s childhood memories of those Kentucky hills were joyful and filled with laughter and wonder. As a little girl, Ida loved to wander off from her Kentucky log cabin. She would stroll down the path beside a stream picking flowers, singing songs. All her life, Ida loved all animals, especially birds, particularly Cardinals and blue birds. As a three-year-old, and a 99-year-old, Ida would sing and whistle with and to the birds. Animals returned Ida’s love; dogs came to Ida right away, wagging their tails, and squirrels, bunny rabbits, horses, all loved her.

According to Ida, she had a gloriously happy childhood. She loved Kentucky all her life, and that is where she eventually married her eternally loved husband. She laughed telling stories about her adored coal miner father taking baths in the creek, or in the wash tub in the front yard.

Across her almost 100 years Ida had many infirmities; her back, foot, leg, ankle, hip, and her "innards," as she said. She had many serious surgeries across all parts of her body, but Ida proudly wore those scars.

From her earliest memory, God was Ida’s foundation. For those of us who knew and loved Ida, we’ve never seen anyone with a stronger faith in God. Ida would pray, “God give me strength," and God gave her strength. Those of us close to Ida saw this miracle repeatedly.

When she was six or seven, Ida moved with her siblings from Kentucky to Ohio. They made the trip in the back of a coal truck with hay for padding and a quilt covering the hay. It was in the 1930’s, when many of the roads were dirt, but it was an adventure Ida loved re-telling. Her Daddy got a job at a factory in Hamilton, Ohio. She loved to joke about how much fun it was to have indoor plumbing after a childhood life with only baths in the tub in the front yard. Ida loved attending school in Kentucky and Ohio. Wilson Junior High School held fun, fond memories and friendships Ida maintained all her life.

The scourge of tuberculosis hit in the 1940’s, which Ida's father contracted, and he was no longer able to work. So, Ida had to quit school in the 8th grade and go to work, and got a job at Omar’s Bakery, working the third shift. She was a diligent, disciplined hard worker. The job was a godsend; it meant money and food for a large family during the Great Depression. Ida took pride in her work. Even in her nineties, she was meticulous about folding, hanging her clothes, folding sheets, blankets, folding towels, drying dishes, and cleaning counter tops. Ida also worked on a pants press machine in a laundry for 16 years. In Florida, Ida worked in a dress shop. With wit, charm, a megawatt smile, and high energy, Ida became the number one salesperson.

Ida always wanted to go to California, and so she did, where she worked as a waitress in San Diego. Her success led to a catering service position on the Hollywood motion picture lots. Ida was a young woman, beautiful, vivacious, full of energy and personality. Ida’s work in Hollywood gave our family countless stories of Ida’s adventures and friendships with the actors. Unsurprisingly, that Hollywood job led Ida into modeling.

Ida met the love of her life, Thomas Wiley Gott, in 1946, right after World War II. "Mr. Gott", as Ida called him, or "my Tom", was a bona fide World War II hero and Silver Star awardee. He landed on the beaches at Normandy, when up through the Ardennes, into Rhine Palatine, Germany. Quick as a switch, Tom was quite a boxer as well. Ida and sister Freda were on a bus from Muncie to Cincinnati, and the moment Tom saw Ida, it was love at first sight. They were married in Newport, Kentucky.

Thomas Wiley Gott was a man who kept his word across decades until his passing, and to this very day provides for his “beloved Id.” Ida and Tom were an epic love story across six decades, spanning parts of two centuries. Their grand romance was enriched and sweetened by their babies, Tami and Terra. During family gatherings, we would try to guess how long Ida would talk before she mentioned her husband, but whatever the subject, she connected it to Tom.

Ida loved to eat, especially chocolate; loved her family, her friends, and her neighbors, as well as forgiveness, having company, holding hands, praying, kindness, patience, understanding, books, walking, and showing you she could do what you thought she could not. Above all, Ida loved to give to God. She also loved her nurses, her caretakers, her doctors, her physical therapists, her occupational therapists, and her speech therapists. She also loved riding the train, riding in the car, sitting in the sunshine, and sitting in the shade, watching birds and her pet bunny rabbits in the yard, as well as watching Gunsmoke and sports on TV because that is what her and Tom would watch. Ida loved her home that Tom built for her, as well as her neighborhood, and town of New Palestine. Ida loved Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, California, and Virginia. Ida loved Walter Reed Arlington Adult Social Center, where she went there regularly for 8 years, as well as their entire staff. Ida loved her van drivers that picked her up every weekday and brought her home in the afternoon and loved the field trips to Washington DC. Ida loved adventure, dancing, singing, humming, music, poetry, flowers, and eating potatoes. In other words, Ida loved the world and justice.

In 2024, doctors called family to Ida’s bedside, saying her death was imminent and certain. Her pulse had dropped frighteningly low. With a family member on each side of the bed holding her hands, they watched, as the pulse weakened. Throughout the day, family members called to tell Ida they loved her. But that night, a nephew thought he felt Ida move a finger. Then, Ida clearly squeezes back the hands that have been holding her all day, and she begins to cough. Ida’s eyes open and tries to speak, fighting to form a sentence. By now, it is the early morning hours of the next day. Ida speaks, but her voice is barely a whisper. Summoning strength Ida’s voice comes crisp, clear, strong, "Stand back and watch the hand of my God at work!"

Ida was God’s work. Ida was God’s miracle in our lives. That was Ida’s strong faith in God. That was Ida’s joy in life. That was Ida’s steadfast will to live, to overcome. Now, Ida has gone to God, and we must rejoice for Ida’s 100 years. With the story of Lot’s wife, the Bible tells us not to look back. So, we honor and remember Ida. Like Ida, we look straight ahead, always in this precious present, joyous, loving moment together. Oh, Ida, how we love you! That love, God’s love is eternal. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Ida is survived by her two daughters, Tami, and Terra; a granddaughter, Jessica (Matt); a great-granddaughter, Janessa (Bob); two great-great-granddaughters, Lynlee and Hadley Elizabeth; and her 28 nieces and nephews, Billy, Denny, Johnny, Jeanette, Jimmy Charles, Shirley, Carey Chester, Jimmy Michael, Lydia, Charles, Buster, Bob, Kathy, Karen, Dean, Doug, Denise, Terry, Debra, Carey Greg, Teresa, Julie, Tommy, Max, Robby, J.C, Sue Ellen, Jeff; those that will serve as pallbearers, Don Duryea, David Duryea, Philip Smelcer, Dan Smelcer, Tom Taylor, and Carey Chet Campbell; and honorary pallbearers: Matt Daus, Jim Stiener, Bobby Fields, John and Jeff Quack, Steven, Finnegan, and Reegan Gabbard, Jim Smelcer, Ray Bruns, Joel Westphal, Christopher Green, Danny Sandlin, Trevor Taylor, Janet Warren, and Curtis Borntrager.

A visitation will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Stillinger Family Funeral Home, Hendryx Chapel, 19 East Main Street, New Palestine, Indiana 46163. A funeral service will be held the following day, Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the funeral home, with Reverend Roger Dale Hurst officiating. Burial will follow at Millville Cemetery in Millville, Ohio. If you would like to sign the online guest book or send condolences to the family, you may do so by visiting www.stillingerfamily.com.