# RIP Mrs. Irene Bivin - a judge who loved kids



## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

We've lost a great icon in the dog show judging world. 
Mrs. Bivin was always a student of the breed standards and an excellent judge of both breed and juniors. She always had time for the exhibitors and the kids.

Here is the obituary for Mrs. Irene Bivin that appears in the _Fort Worth Star-Telegram._

Irene Bivin died Monday, Sept. 8, 2008, after a courageous battle with cancer at her home. She was surrounded by her loving family.Memorial service: 2 p.m. Thursday at University Christian Church in Fort Worth.Memorials: The family respectfully requests that flowers not be sent, but that those wishing to make memorials to Irene do so by remembering Buckner Children's Home, 600 N. Pearl St., Suite 2000, Dallas, Texas 75201; Take The Lead, Box 6353, Watertown, N.Y., a charitable organization benefiting people in the sport of purebred dogs; or a charity of choice.Irene, a longtime resident of Fort Worth, was born in Coffeyville, Miss., to John and Daisy Mann. She and her family moved to the Rio Grande Valley when she was a small child.Irene married R.T. Nail Jr. in 1947. It was during this time that she first became interested in the sport of purebred dogs. Early on she participated in field events, then obedience trials and later in confirmation shows. Irene was approved by the American Kennel Club to judge confirmation and obedience events and presided at many of the world's prestigious shows.In 1978, Irene and Edd Bivin were married and formed an internationally-known judging team of purebred dogs. Irene was the first and only woman from Texas to judge Best in Show at the famed Westminster Kennel Club in New York in 2003.Irene was a member of University Christian Church, where she was the first woman elder, president of the CWF and co-chair of the building committee for the original expansion of the sanctuary during the ministry of Granville Walker. She also served as chairman of the Central YWCA and as its interim director on several occasions. Irene was a member of P.E.O., a philanthropic organization. As a distinguished member of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, she was awarded the club's Life Time Achievement Award. Irene was selected as the first female member of the executive field staff of the American Kennel Club, a position which she held for eight years.Survivors: Her husband of 30 years, Edd E. Bivin; her daughter, Jesanne Rall and her husband, Michael, of Aledo; her daughter, Teresa Nail and Ray Lively of Dallas; her sister, Ruby Spicer of Wills Point; her brother, Raymond Mann of Harrison, Ark.; grandchildren, Jessica Jolley and her husband, Dustin, of Santa Cruz, Calif., Beth Rall and her fiance, Robert Durden, of New York, N.Y.; great-grandchildren, Petra and Freya Jolley; and close friends of many years, Claire Curry, Lynn Eggers and Nancy Wagner. Irene will be remembered by by an extended family and friends over the country.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Oh, what a loss. Thank you for posting her bio/obit. I don't think I had ever shown under her, but her husband is a very admirable & knowledgable man. (He has been the judge to comment on several of the televised shows as well as judging local shows.) It looks like she had quite an impressive resume herself.


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