Fay Lynne VanStee

It is with deep sorrow to announce the passing of Fay Lynne VanStee (born Heydenburg) after a short battle with stage 4 breast cancer. She fought hard and unfortunately lost her battle on March 11th, 2023, at the age of 65. Fay was loved by many throughout her life. Fay was born on September 23rd, 1957, to parents Marilyn and Keith Heydenburg. During her childhood, her mother got remarried to Charles D. Cole who took Fay and her siblings as his own and gave them his last name. Fay was raised on the family farm and would often reminisce about a memory she had when she was younger helping assist with the birth of a horse calf. She was very proud of herself in that moment. Her family moved to Scram Lake in Rockford, MI. She enjoyed the water whether it was swimming, boating, or looking for rocks along the shore. The family believes this may have been the beginning of her love for finding beautiful Petoskey Stones along the beaches but also random rock piles on the side of the road. She grew to have a large collection of these Petoskey stones which she would polish many up with her rock polishing machine. Fay also loved to collect Cows, Coca-Cola memorabilia, Betty Boop, and lighthouses. Fay gave birth to three children, Benjamin Wayne, Rachel Lynne, and Jacob Quinn and they were her world. Her love grew fonder when she became a grandmother to her 5 grandchildren Carter, Annabelle, Valkyon, Bellatrix and Sage. In her later years, she enjoyed time spent with her friends Julie and Jeannine whether it was tending to the garden, helping drive cars between dealerships, or even just sitting and talking about life. She was preceded in death by her mother Marilyn Cole, father Keith Heydenburg, stepfather Dale Cole, sisters Elizabeth (Cole) Christian and Catherine (Cole) Janse. She is survived by her brother Tim (Susan) Cole, sister Barbara (Cole) Simon, brother-in-law Mark Christian; Children Benjamin VanStee, Rachel (Dr. Joseph) Keck, Jacob VanStee; Grandchildren Carter VanStee, Annabelle VanStee, Valkyon Keck, Bellatrix Keck, Sage Keck; nieces and nephews Christina (Jim) Raymor, Amanda Armstrong, Michael Janse, Candy Cole, Sally Cole, Joshua Christian, Deanna Ely, Kelly (Laderoot) Grow, Richard Ely, Willis Ely, Beth Ely; friends Julie Mepham, Jeannine Creamer and her cherished companion dog Arayah. Fay will be sorely missed by all who loved her and held her dear. Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fay’s funeral fund at Reyers North Valley Chapel.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.reyersnorthvalleychapel.com for the VanStee family.