Iris Hildabrand, a follower of Christ whose faith and kindness spanned the globe, went to be with the Lord Thursday, January 28 ^th , 2021 after a brief illness.

Iris was born July 1, 1957 in Bartlesville, OK. The daughter of Eddie and Helen (Sasaki) Nakayama. She grew up the middle of three girls. After graduating high school, she was off to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. While pursuing a degree in plant pathology, she attended a dorm party where she met a boy named Bruce. They both went to sit in the last spot, a bean bag chair, at the same time. Both stubbornly refusing to surrender, they shared the bean bag and she ended up holding Bruce's hand by the end of the party. Not shortly thereafter, she and Bruce married on August 12, 1978. After graduating OSU, Iris earned her associate's degree in Computer Science. This ultimately spurred a successful career which culminated in her retirement from IBM after 18 years with company.

For 42 years, Iris and Bruce enjoyed a busy life together traveling to 45 states, serving at Lakeside Baptist Church where Iris was a Sunday School Teacher, and raising their two children Shelley and Zion. Iris also enjoyed crafts including quilting, creative memories, and making jewelry.

Everyone who had the privilege to spend time with Iris knows her incredibly sweet smile, contagious laughter, and hugs will be missed immensely. Iris' timeless sense of humor and charismatic personality gave her an unyielding ability to spread joy to others. It truly was something to behold.

She was a loving and devoted Christian who followed her calling to spread the love of Christ both near and far. Iris was a missionary who would go on to travel to Uganda six times to transform lives in the name of Jesus. In 2017, Iris founded The Dream Inside Ministries International to share God's love with differently abled children and their families. Known in Uganda as "Mum Iris," her love toward her children has forever lifted their lives, their families, and their communities.

Iris is survived by her husband Bruce and their children Shelley Seay and Zion Hildabrand; her sisters Teresa Hillson (Randy) of Minneapolis, MN and Denise Enright of Champaign, IL; grandchildren Zane Ames, Nashay Seay, and Michael Seay; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother-in-law Ken Enright.

Visitation was held Sunday, February 7 ^th from 12:00PM to 5:00PM at The Mannford Funeral Home. A Private Interment was held on February 8, 2021 at Oak Hill Cemetery, in Mannford, Oklahoma.  Iris' Memorial Service is scheduled for 10:00AM Monday, February 22, 2021 at Lakeside Baptist Church in Mannford, Oklahoma.

The memorial service will be live streamed through the Lakeside Baptist Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Dream Inside Ministries International, 5767 S Hwy 48, Mannford, OK 74044.

Philippians 4:13