Farmington Police say they’re unaware of any connection between Shirley Voita and mother and daughter Gwendolyn Dean Schofield and Melody Ivie — the three victims in Monday’s mass shooting in Farmington. They say they just happened to be driving down a residential street when an 18-year-old gunmanopened fire on passing cars and homes on his block. However, each is being remembered similarly for lives of service to their students, faith communities and large families.
Schofield was a school teacher until retirement, according to her family. They say her 73-year-old daughter Ivie owned and operated a preschool that served Farmington families for 40 years. Meanwhile, the family of Shirley Voita says she spent her career caring for students as well — as a school nurse.
Schofield’s family says she loved teaching and continued to support learners in her community through a literacy program. They described her as an “avid humanitarian” whose top priority was continued education.
Melody Ivie’s family said she had what she called “grand-students” as generations of Farmington families came through the doors of Ivie League Preschool over the years. Her family wrote that even as her pre-K students grow into adults, they “remember the love and kindness Mrs. Ivie gave them.”
Meanwhile, the family of Shirley Voita says she loved being a school nurse and that she “found great joy in helping and encouraging others.” She also volunteered for two decades at a local senior center preparing taxes among other things.
All three women are also being remembered for their impact on their neighbors and faith communities. Scholfield’s family shared that she “loved serving others both within her church and within the community” and could often be found “baking and checking in on her friends around town.” Their family says Ivie’s “love spanned oceans,” as she served as a missionary in Ghana. Voita’s family wrote that she was ”joyfully devoted to her family, friends, church and community.”
All three are survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — and in 97-year-old Schofield’s case, even a great-great-grandchild. Shirley Voita is also survived by her husband of 57 years, Michael.
