Ruth "Ida" Gifford , age 80 from Orem, passed away April 25, 2018. Funeral Services will be Saturday, April 28, 2018, 1:00 p.m., Sharon Park 3 rd Ward, 310 North 100 East, Orem. Family and friends may visit that morning from 11:00 – 12:45 p.m. at the church. Interment will be in Orem City Cemetery, 1520 North 800 East, Orem. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.walkersanderson.com Ruth Ida Straus Gifford peacefully passed away on Wednesday, April 25 at her home, with her daughter by her side, exactly as she wanted.  Ida, as most knew her, lived a full, adventurous, meaningful life. Her strong mind and spirit were known and felt by those around her all of her days on this earth. Ida was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on March 9, 1938, to Robert Joseph and Ruth Laverne Straus.  She was the youngest of four strong sisters, who all grew up in the Panama Canal Zone, where their father worked as a machinist on the Canal.  Ida had a great love of swimming.  She set many records at the Balboa Pool in Panama, traveled to Costa Rica for an international relay competition, and eventually, after moving to the States, became the first female lifeguard in Burbank, California.  Ida was a strong believer in higher education.  She got her bachelor's degree at BYU, and her Master's degree in Social Work at Florida State University.  As a social worker Ida helped children in the Florida foster care system get placed with loving families, helped Veterans at the Bay Pines VA Hospital, and helped those living with mental illness at the Utah State Hospital. Ida married John Alan Gifford on June 14,1968 in the Los Angeles Temple.  They had one daughter, Lara Ruth Gifford, who Ida bragged about to no end.  She was proud that Lara pursued degrees in Communications and Nursing, and followed in her mother's footsteps by working with Veterans who live with mental health issues. Ida is survived by her daughter Lara, her sisters, Margaret Elizabeth Edwards of Cedar Hills, and Mary LaVerne Hollowell of Dothan, Alabama, as well as many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband John, her sister Dorothy Romeyn, and her parents. Ida served diligently in many LDS church callings, but her personal calling was genealogy.  She dedicated thousands of hours to researching her and her husband's lines.  Temple work and baptisms were done on hundreds of names because of Ida's work.  She is surely being thanked by multitudes for her service. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 28th at 1:00 pm at the Sharon Park 3rd Ward building,  310 North 100 E, Orem, UT . A viewing will be held Saturday from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm prior to funeral services. Interment will be at the Orem City Cemetery at 10 am on Monday, April 30.