SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — Nick Ivie lived a life of service that extend to his work with the Border Patrol.

Once while on patrol in the southeastern Arizona desert, he came across a pregnant Mexican woman traveling with a small group of people. Her feet were cut, and she wore rags for shoes.

"He carried that woman a mile and a half so she could get the help that she needed," Nick's brother, Chris Ivie, said. "He really did love the people that he worked with. He was a hero."

That story was one of several Chris Ivie and another brother, Rick Ivie, shared during news conference Thursday at Cochise College.

About three dozen members of the Ivie family attended, but only the two brothers spoke and took questions from the media. More than half of them, including Ivie's wife, Christy, and Nick's parents, stood on the stage with American, Arizona and Border Patrol flags behind them.

All of Ivie's nieces and nephews sat to the side. The family remained composed throughout the questioning. His wife, now widow, only broke that composure when a question was poised about their daughters.

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"He was a favorite uncle," Chris Ivie said. "He was just that kind of guy."

Although Ivie was the youngest of three brothers and one sister, his siblings looked up to him, Rick Ivie said.

"He lived his life as a life of service," he said, noting his brother's work as a volunteer EMT in Spanish Fork, attending the fire academy and becoming a Border Patrol agent.

His faith and his family always came first in his work, though.

"Nick served his God, family, country and fellow man with dedication and love," said Kevin Goates, Nick's stake president.

Joel Ivie, a Border Patrol agent since 2003, steered his brother toward the agency.

"It just seemed like a good fit," Chis Ivie said, adding that Nick, 30, "grew up on horses."

The two brothers had worked together on the horse patrol for several months, but they were not stationed together at the time of the fatal shooting Tuesday.

"We never thought it would happen to us, but it did," Chris Ivie said, adding that shootings along the border "seemed so rare."

"We would tell them to be careful," he said.

Chris Ivie said he once asked Nick if riding horses had become a chore because he rode as part of his job.

"Riding never gets old," he said Nick replied. "He loved what he did."

Ivie, at 19, served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico City, where he learned Spanish and "developed a great love for the Mexican people," Goates said.

Joel Ivie didn't speak to the media due to the ongoing investigation.

Chris and Rick Ivie said the family hasn't been told exactly what happened early Tuesday morning when their brother was killed.

"We probably know less than you do, to be honest with you. We get most of our information from the news," Chris Ivie said.

The family, he said, has received comfort from the thoughts and prayers of friends and strangers and have not yet considered feeling anything for the individuals who took Nick's life.

"It is what it is. It won't bring Nick back," Chris Ivie said. "We know where Nick is right now. … We know we'll be able to see him again."

Burial plans have not been finalized, but Ivie's body is expected to be laid to rest in Utah.

An account* has been set up in Ivie's name at Zions Bank. Goates asked that the American people, not just community members, donate to the family of the fallen agent.

Contributing: Wendy Leonard and Lori Prichard

*ksl.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does ksl.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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