Ives was born as Margaret Ellen Redhead in Millom, Cumbria, England, on 28 January 1889. She emigrated to Canada in 1913, and later married Walter Thomas Ives. The couple had five children: Milby, Vera, Ron, Walter Jr., and Alice.

Ives and her husband lived in Norquay, Saskatchewan for many years before relocating to Winnipeg in 1946. In her later years, Ives enjoyed gardening and quilting for her family. She moved into a Winnipeg nursing home aged 96, where she was affectionately known as “Granny.”

Ives died in her sleep on 27 March 2000 at the age of 111 years, 59 days, as Canada’s fourth-oldest person after Zelda McCague, Isabel Dryden, and Fanny Martland. She was survived by four or her children, as well as 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.