Sylvia Jane Carey
09/22/1932 - 01/11/2025
Sylvia Jane Carey, 92, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on January 11, 2025. She is at peace and her mind is restored in heaven!
Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2025, at First Church of God (4201 E. Douglas Ave, Des Moines). A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at Memorial Services of Iowa (4208 N. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny) with interment following at Ankeny Memorial Gardens. The funeral will be livestreamed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/event/4843781
Sylvia was born September 22, 1932, to Frank and Reba (Robinson) Wheeler in Pottsville, Arkansas, where she was raised. On February 26, 1949, Sylvia married the love of her life and husband of 73 years, Frederick Alva Carey. God blessed Fred and Sylvia’s marriage with five sons and although she always said she’d wanted a dozen children, she was content to settle on 10 after allowing her sons to choose her daughters. She loved each of her daughters-in-law as her own.
Sylvia’s generosity made this world a better place for so many. She welcomed everyone into her home and around her table and took great joy in feeding her guests. Saturday night dinners at the Carey household were a standing tradition for many years, memories of which will be cherished by her family. There was always a meal, sweet tea, good conversation, a new trinket from the thrift store, and to the everlasting delight of her grandchildren (because Sylvia had a bigger sweet tooth than most kids) there were always brownies, ice cream, pie and fun-size candy bars to go around. Everyone who joined those gatherings always left with more than they had when they arrived.
Sylvia was a woman of God, a loving wife, caring mother and grandmother. She was a faithful member of First Church of God in Des Moines for 68 years. She believed in the power of prayer and left a legacy – praying for each and every person in her family, by name, every single day.
Sylvia began her working life as a young farm girl in the fields of Arkansas, picking cotton to help her sharecropping family. She had a work ethic second to none which carried through her entire life. After raising her sons, she went on to retire twice, first from Central Life Assurance in her late fifties, and finally at age 83 from the Woodsmith Store.
Sylvia is preceded in death by her husband, Fred; her parents, Frank and Reba; her sister, Louise Tucker; and her brother, Jimmy Wheeler.
Left to cherish her memory are her sons, of whom she was immensely proud, Cliff (Jeannine), Roger (Pat), Hank (Cindy), Mark (Beth), Jeff (Maria); 15 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren, five great-greatgrandchildren (with two more on the way!); sisters, Ellen Sue Roberts and Jearldean Shinn; as well as many nieces and nephews.
A special thanks to the teams at Wesley Life, Woodlands Creek and Suncrest Hospice for the exemplary care provided with love, compassion and kindness.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Church of God, 4201 E. Douglas, Des Moines, IA 50317.
Visitation
First Church of God
4201 E. Douglas Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50317
Funeral Service
Memorial Services of Iowa
4208 North Ankeny Blvd
Ankeny, IA 50023