Fay Belt Ireland (95) of Birmingham died peacefully in her home surrounded by family members on April 18, 2019. She is survived by her sons Charles Byron Ireland (Linda); John Reynolds Ireland (Judy); Kelly Belt Ireland (Cheri); William Reynolds Ireland Jr. (Patti). Thirteen grandchildren; Barney Ireland, III (Debbie) Laura Ireland; Patricia Ann Ireland; John Ireland Jr. (Stephanie); Katharine Ireland Kidd (Gavin); Scott Ireland Jr; William Ireland III; Lesley Ireland Sewell (Hunter); Kelly Brightman Ireland, Mary Jama Ireland, Andrew Ireland (Catherine); Anderson Ireland; Jackson Glenn Ireland. Fay was preceded in death by her parents, Fay and Lara Belt; husband, William “Little Bill” Ireland; brother Phillip Belt; and son Scott Brown Ireland.
A native of Birmingham, AL, Fay attended the University of Alabama for two years and joined Chi Omega sorority. She then transferred to Cornell University in New York where she was among the 170,000 women who joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II, becoming a Senior Cadet Nurse in 1946 and later that year earning her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Cornell University. As a nursing student at Cornell, Fay and her fellow classmates took over many of the responsibilities of the staff nurses at New York Hospital who had left to serve in the Pacific during the war. Upon graduation she returned to Birmingham and served as a Sr. Public Health Nurse for the Jefferson County Department of Health, before marrying William “Little Bill” Ireland and raising five boys. Throughout her life she remained passionate about the pivotal role nurses play in building healthy communities.
Fay’s philanthropy has touched many Alabamians, especially those involved in public health, education and the environment. The daughter of a nurse herself, she was a steadfast supporter of the UAB School of Nursing, generously providing for the establishment of both a namesake scholarship in 1999 and the School’s Fay B. Ireland Endowed Deanship in 2011. Her enthusiastic advocacy and decades-long partnership touched countless lives at the School and across the UAB campus. In addition to her longtime service on the School of Nursing Board of Visitors, Mrs. Ireland was also active in many other worthwhile community organizations, having served on the Boards of Directors of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glenwood Autism & Behavioral Health Center and as a Trustee Emeritus of Day 1, a ministry of the Alliance for Christian Media. Fay was also involved with the Governors Honors Program at Samford University, and as a lifetime member of the Alabama Wildlife Foundation and Ducks Unlimited.
The family would like to acknowledge the love and attention her caregivers provided for Fay: JoAnn Williams, Christy Powell, Tammy Grier, Brian Skelton and Tony Lopez.
Visitation will be held at 10AM Tuesday, April 23, 2019 followed by a Memorial Service at 11AM. Services will be held at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, Mountain Brook, AL.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial gifts to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (2612 Lane Park Lane Road, Birmingham, AL 35223) or the UAB School of Nursing (c/o Office of Development & Alumni Relations, 1720 2nd Ave S, NB 385, Birmingham, AL 35294-1210).
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