Obituary of Iris May Stickel

Iris May Robey Stickel of Kilmarnock, Virginia passed away on Tuesday, November 9, 2010. She was born in Fairfax County on September 20, 1923, the daughter of the late, DeOrman L. Robey and May Taylor Robey. She graduated from Herndon High School in 1940, and completed secretarial training at Strayer College in Washington, DC. She was married to Robert Athey Stickel on May 16, 1945. Over the course of her career, she worked for several agencies of the federal government, most notably for the Federal Communications Commission where she served as a paralegal in the Enforcement Division. She retired in January 1984. She was genealogist and active member of several Northern Virginia genealogy and historical organizations. She was a lifelong lover of nature and the outdoors, a skilled fisherman and bird watcher. She was an avid reader especially of wildlife, archeology and nature journals. One of her proudest accomplishments was to partner with her husband in sponsoring members of a French Tunisian family to immigrate to the United States. She welcomed them into her home and her heart and played a principal part in helping them acclimate and become integrated into the community. They are now US citizens and members of her extended family. Her proximity to her youngest grandchildren enabled her to play an integral role in their daily lives, forging special bonds of closeness. Her retirement home in Kilmarnock became the center—as she was—of her more distant family as well. It has been the site of innumerable large and lively gatherings of the "clan" from near and far. She enjoyed vacation travel with her other grandchildren, too, which enabled her to spend important one-on-one time with them during their formative years. She is survived by her daughters, Linda (Norman) Williams, of Laurel, MD and Carol (Ross) Dempsey of Burnsville, MN; sons, Robert (Karen) Stickel, of White Stone, VA and Ralph Stickel (and his fiancé, Margaret Reed), of Roanoke, VA; brother, DeOrman L. (Frieda) Robey, Jr. Grandchildren, Michael (Mindy) Dempsey, Matthew (Jodi) Dempsey, Jennifer (Donald) Gangemella, Ian (Bridget) Williams, Nathan Stickel and Natalie Stickel; Great-granddaughter, Olivia Curfman; niece, Betsy (Frank) Casaleno and nephews, DeOrman Robey and John (Laurie) Robey. She was exceptional in how she related to all her loved ones. She had the gift of making of her brother, cousins, children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews and their spouses feel special to her, each in his or her own way. She taught us all the meaning of unconditional love. Family will receive friends on Sunday, November 14, 2010 from 5-7 p.m. at Adams-Green Funeral Home, 721 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia. Funeral Services will be at Adams-Green Funeral Home Herndon at 11:00 AM on Monday, November 15, 2010, with burial immediately following at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Herndon. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Animal Welfare League, Inc., 107 S. Main Street, Kilmarnock, Virginia 22482.