116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Michael 'Mikey' Birely
MICHAEL "MIKEY" LOUIS BIRELY
Keystone
Michael "Mikey" Louis Birely, 33, died suddenly in a motorcycle accident on Saturday, July 6, 2019, near Silvis, Ill. A celebration of life service will be held at
11 a.m. Friday, July 12, at Phillips Funeral Home in Keystone. Interment will be held
at the Keystone Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family.
Michael was born July 9, 1985, the son
of George and Judith (Unruh) Birely. He graduated from North Cedar High School in 2004. On June 23, 2007, he married Alaina Marie Sauer. They had one daughter, Trista Claire, born Jan. 23, 2008.
Michael was a social butterfly; there was no one he met that he couldn't talk their ear off. He made friends wherever he went. He always had a new story to tell and could always make you laugh. His smile was contagious. He was an avid hunter and loved to boat and fish. His dream was to drive a semi. He started driving in 2008 and after taking a break, he started driving for a local farmer. In 2013, he started driving for Vavroch Trucking. In March 2018, he bought his own truck and started Birely Trucking. He was so proud to be driving his own truck and worked very hard to make sure it succeeded. Mike loved his family very much and would do anything for them.
He is survived by his wife, Alaina; and daughter, Trista; his mother, Judith Birely of Mechanicsville; his father and stepmother, George Birely and Becky Houska of Anamosa; his brothers, Marvin (Julie) Birely of Marion, John Pearson of Dubuque and Jeremy Birely of Mechanicsville; stepbrother, Anthony (Kaytee) Houska of Monticello; stepsister, Tara (Brian) Dietiker of Anamosa; his father- and mother-in-law, Brad and Roxanne Sauer; sister-in-law, Diana Sauer, all of Chelsea; his grandmothers, Estella Unruh of Mechanicsville and Delores Birely of Milan, Ill.; 19 aunts and uncles; eight nieces and nephews; one great-nephew; and many, many friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Marvin Birely and Clair Unruh; his great-grandparents; and dear friend, Noel Griffin.
Online condolences may be left at www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com.
Daily Newsletters