WILMINGTON — Amanda Dana Ivancevich (Hermanson, Goff), 20, went peacefully into the arms of Jesus on June 6, 2024.
She was the daughter of Susan Hermanson (Ritner Goff) and Daniel Ivancevich (Colleen), and sister of Kathryn (“Katie”) Ivancevich.
Amanda was born at Duke Hospital in Durham and raised in Wilmington and Burgaw, North Carolina.
She is survived by her uncle Dana Hermanson (Heather), aunt Jill Zacha (David), and cousins Tim Hermanson (Michael Land), Will Hermanson, Hunter Zacha, Hailey Zacha, and Hannah Zacha. While Amanda was born an Ivancevich, she was every bit a Hermanson and Goff as well. Amanda is also survived by her amazing caregiver of 13 years, Traci Sawyer, who gave Amanda exceptional care and unwavering love each day while her parents were at work.
Amanda is predeceased by her Nana, Dianne Hermanson, who passed away on May 8, 2024, and who dedicated her later life to helping Susan raise Amanda, and her Papa, Roger Hermanson, who loved his little angel more than life itself. They helped to set up a wonderful nearly 70-acre horse farm in Burgaw where Amanda absolutely flourished with Susan, Ritner, and Katie. Amanda is also predeceased by her paternal grandparents John and Diane Ivancevich and her aunt Dana Ivancevich.
To know Amanda was to love her. Amanda was light to all who met her, and the love of Jesus shined brightly through her. Throughout her life, she touched so many people – from the woman who trained Amanda’s first service dog and credits Amanda with turning her life around and drawing her to Jesus, to her mom Susan and Cowboy Daddy Ritner, who found their purpose in life through her, to random strangers who were touched by her spirit. Amanda taught all of us to enjoy and appreciate every moment.
Amanda was a precious gift from God from the day she was born. She was incredibly happy almost all the time and was the most loving person imaginable. She was special and faced many health challenges throughout her short life. Despite these challenges, she lived life to the fullest. She had wonderful therapists and caregivers who helped her thrive. She also had excellent organizations, such as Make-A-Wish and Welcome Home Angel, that greatly enriched her life. In addition, she greatly benefitted from her service dogs and the loving individuals who trained them.
Amanda was a lover of people and animals. She especially loved her ponies, May (Katie’s childhood pony that she shared), Brady, and Dippy, and her service dogs, Ellie and Baloo. She loved music and had a great sense of humor. One of her favorite little games was to raise her arms up until her family (or really any audience) would jokingly complain about the smell of her “stinky arms” and pretend to need to turn on a fan to blow the smell away. She would laugh and laugh. She frequently belly-laughed at all her sister’s antics. She was always up for snuggles with her mom Susan and/or her Cowboy Daddy Ritner, and she filled their lives with love and joy. One of her favorite things to do was to play the “pudding game” with Ritner at night while he jokingly offered her all sorts of veggies and water when he knew she really wanted pudding. She would get so happy when he finally mentioned pudding that she would laugh hysterically. She also loved snuggling with her mom and singing her the “Oh Mama” song.
Amanda did a lot of living in her short life. She swam with the dolphins on two occasions in the Florida Keys, rode horses (both at the farm and at shows, typically with her big sister Katie who she loved dearly), and traveled to a variety of states in the U.S. (including South Carolina, California, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland). She also rode in a Gulfstream Jet, in helicopters, and participated in fun activities like tubing, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming, and riding along in her stroller for 5Ks with her mom and dad. Perhaps her favorite activity was riding her bike all over the farm to visit the horses. Amanda was very smart and loved school. She liked all subjects but especially loved math. She earned her high school diploma from CrossRoads School in 2023. Much like John 21:25, this list could never be comprehensive of everything Amanda enjoyed or accomplished in her life. She was a wonderful kid who loved life and never wasted a moment of her precious life.
Amanda touched everyone she met, and she made all of us become better people for having known her. Amanda was our hero in life and is our hero in death. As her final act, she donated her organs to help save the lives of others. She will always be our hero and our inspiration.
Amanda will be remembered on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at Riley’s Creek Baptist Church. Visitation is from 2 to 4:00 p.m. with the funeral service at 4 pm.
There will be a private burial service for family the next morning at Riverview Memorial Park in Willard, NC.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks anyone wishing to donate to contribute to the “Amanda Dana Ivancevich/Hermanson Memorial Scholarship” established in Amanda’s memory at the Cameron School of Business, University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Contributions can be sent to University Advancement, 601 S. College Road. Wilmington, NC 28403. Please write “Amanda Dana Ivancevich/Hermanson Memorial Scholarship” in the Memo line.
Shared memories and condolences may be sent to the family here.
