Obituary of Iris M. Birky

Iris M. Birky, age 81, of Osage Beach, Missouri, departed this life Thursday, July 16, 2009 at Lake Ozark Retirement Center in Osage Beach, Missouri. She was born March 24, 1928 in Bloomington, Illinois, a daughter to Levi and Emma (Bechler) Birky. Iris was born a pre-mature infant weighing only 3 lbs. 8 oz. She spent the first three weeks of her life in a shoebox and was kept warm on the oven door of the kitchen wood stove. Iris taught school for 43 years in Oregon and Indiana. Her teaching career began in a one room school house, where she taught all students, grades one through eight. Iris was a Christian woman with a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ. She was an active member of Riverview Baptist Church in Osage Beach. Iris was a child of God, and it showed. She was a truly gently soul and had a smile that gave children and adults, alike, a sense of warmth and comfort. Iris is survived by four brothers, Orville Birky, Merlyn Birky, Willis Birky and Wendell Birky all of Valparaiso, Indiana and two sisters, Loise Kuehl of Valparaiso, Indiana and Jean Troyer of Goshen, Indiana. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Eldon Birky.