Annie Faye Birky

Annie Faye Birky

Cedar Rapids

Annie Faye Birky, 90, passed away Wednesday morning, July 13, 2022, at Heritage Specialty Care-Dementia Unit in Cedar Rapids.

A visitation will be held at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories on Saturday, July 23, 2022, from 1 p.m. until service time at 3 p.m., with the Certified Celebrant, Dr. James Coyle, officiating. Interment to follow at the Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery-Garden of the Cross.

Faye is survived by four of her children, Bev (Scott) Chariton of Hiawatha, Jan Anthony of Marion, Jim (Sally) Birky of Milliken, Colo., and Tom (Kathy) Hensley-Birky of Cedar Rapids; 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her nephew who was like a brother, Kenneth Key, of Kingsport, Tenn.; sister-in-law, Betty Jean Rinderknecht of Coon Rapids, Minn.; Alabama cousins Betty Lou Hood, Ray Wadsworth and Gaynell White; and many nieces and nephews around the nation.

Faye was predeceased by her parents; husband, Bill; son, Gregory and his wife, Kathy of Newton, Iowa; and great-grandson, Austin Hunter of Midwest City, Okla. She was also preceded in death by her sisters, Avis Key, Kingsport, Tenn., and Violet Davison, Sierra Vista, Ariz.; her brothers, Bruce (Josie) and Gene (Maxine) McLarty, all of Arley, Ala., and Wayne (Sondra) McLarty, Atkins, Iowa; brothers-in-law, William Key of Arley, Ala., and Donald A. Rinderknecht in Minnesota, formerly of Atkins, Iowa; and nephew, Doug McLarty and niece, June Trotter, both of Alabama.

Faye was born to Thomas and Fleta (Lindley) McLarty on Dec. 18, 1931, the youngest of six children on their cotton farm in Arley, Ala., where she excelled in her studies and was a high school cheerleader at Meek Schools. Faye moved to Iowa where her sister Violet lived in 1949 and began working as a clerk-bookkeeper at the Holden & Kahler Bookstore in Cedar Rapids. She married William Birky Jr., on June 4, 1950, at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Atkins, Iowa. She raised five children before working at Killian’s Department Store as a clerk and then bookkeeper. She also loved being a Sunday school teacher and hosting family gatherings. Later on, she devoted numerous enjoyable years as the director of the local nonprofit Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) until retiring to care for Bill until his passing and quilt by hand.

The family would like to thank all the angels of Heritage Specialty Care for their loving care of Annie Faye during her stay for 7 1/2 years in the Dementia Unit, especially Paula, Vicki, Kim, Barnette and Teresa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to: Heritage Specialty Care-Dementia Unit, 200 Clive Dr. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404; or the Alzheimer’s Association, 317 Seventh Ave. SE, Suite 402, Cedar Rapids IA 52401.