Birdie was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania on December 19, 1935, to Joseph Edward and Garnet Coras. Upon graduating from Centerville High School in 1953, Birdie joined the Navy. It was during that time working in the Pentagon that she met and married Marvin Daniel York in 1958. After their discharge from the Navy, Birdie and Marvin moved to his hometown of Lancaster, Texas, where they raised their three children. They resided in Lancaster until the devastating tornado in 1994, then moving to Plano and subsequently settling in Frisco.
Birdie attended the University of Texas at Arlington, graduating with a Finance degree in 1977, all while adeptly managing the family home and keeping track of three busy kids and their middle and high school activities. While the effort required was exhausting, she nonetheless persevered, diligently attending classes and spending late nights studying at the family kitchen table.
Birdie enjoyed a successful business career, working for many companies in real estate finance, a large law firm, and ending her career at her two sons’ real estate appraisal company.
Marvin passed in 2006. Birdie then moved to Frisco Lakes and developed many wonderful friendships there, enjoying travel, playing cards and mah jongg, attending Bible Study, contributing to potluck dinners and volunteering at the Scottish Rite Hospital.
Her greatest passion was her grandchildren, of whom she was obnoxiously proud. She was a regular fixture at all of their activities, including plays, dance recitals and hundreds of sporting events. After the event, the kids always got a hug from Grandma and a bag of Skittles candy, which became her trademark.
Birdie’s family will remember her as fiercely loyal, thoughtfully generous and always ready to celebrate. She was deeply loved and will be painfully missed.
She is preceded in death by her parents and sister Shirley Gribben. She is survived by her sisters Mary Jane Warnock of Oroville, California, Marie Miller of Reading, Pennsylvania and Georgiann Ritenour of Hopwood, Pennsylvania, her children Guy York and wife Suzan of Wylie, Texas, Greg York and wife Suzanne of Argyle, Texas and Nancy York Terrell and husband Brian of Dallas, Texas. Her grandchildren are Katherine Frank and husband Andy of Dallas, Texas, Carson York and wife Meagan of Fort Worth, Texas, Laura Heiden and husband Jon of Madison, Wisconsin, Connor York and wife Ellen of Dallas, Texas, Elise York of New York, New York and Troy York of Superior, Wisconsin. Birdie had three great-grandchildren, Jack Henry and Eleanor Elizabeth Frank and Bear Daniel Heiden.
A private graveside service will be held for her family at the DFW National Cemetery on March 8th. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Scottish Rite Hospital https://scottishriteforchildren.org/
Online condolences may be directed to www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/dallas-tx/birdie-york-10074032
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