Maria Kay Orlich-Healy
February 17, 1948 — May 2, 2025
Maria Kay Orlich-Healy, 77, died peacefully and surrounded by family on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Cedar Rapids. A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m., Friday, May 9, 2025, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home; Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Friday at 2 p.m., or at the reception following the service. A livestream of the Celebration of Life may be accessed on the funeral home website tribute page for Maria, under “videos,” starting at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025.
Maria was born on February 17, 1948, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the daughter of Duschan Orlich and Dessa Johnson. She graduated from Mount Mercy College with a bachelor’s degree in business, and married Richard Francis Healy on July 13, 1985, in Cedar Rapids. Maria spent time living in California and Florida, and worked at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, respectively. While living in Cedar Rapids, she worked for Evergreen Packaging (formerly Cherry Burrell), Moore Business Forms, the United States Postal Service, and the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA). She retired from TSA in 2013.
Maria was a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt. She was intelligent, organized, hard-working, punctual, and made the best scrambled eggs in the world. Maria supported her daughters’ athletic pursuits, regularly attending their sporting events, and enjoyed watching Iowa Women's Basketball. Maria enjoyed walking on nature trails while listening to NPR, cared about the environment, and was an avid thrifter. She was diagnosed with dementia in 2020 and rode the ups and downs with tremendous courage. After moving into assisted living in 2022, she enjoyed visits from loved ones and especially from her granddaughter, Vivi.
Maria is survived by her daughters, Katherine Healy of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Connor (Luis) Healy of Chicago, Illinois; granddaughter, Viviana Rose Navarro Healy of Chicago, Illinois; her
sisters, Dessa (Jim) Hutchins of Phoenix, Arizona; Barbara (Russ) Neal of Mount Vernon, Iowa;
and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, in 2023, her parents, and in-laws.
Memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association.
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