Cecelia Gay Heald, age 86, passed away on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from complications of Alzheimer's dementia.

Gay was born on December 12, 1939, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to George Thomas "Buss" and Vera Maxine (Gay) Pfannkuch. A 1958 graduate of Marquette High School, she dedicated her professional life to others as a caregiver, becoming a registered nurse in 1961 at St. John's Hospital School of Nursing and later a B.S. in Nursing from Tulsa University in 1971.

On May 27, 1961, she married John B. "Jack" Heald, Jr. in Tulsa. Jack's early military service and later business career took them on a lifelong journey together; they lived in Washington State, Tulsa, Miami, Houston, and Concord, CA, before eventually returning home to Tulsa. In 2020, they moved to Cedar Rapids to be closer to family.

She is survived by her husband, Jack; daughter Sandy (Richard) Sublett; granddaughters Casey Lynn (John Thomas) Sublett Menchaca and Dana Marie Sublett; great-grandson Felix Menchaca; and her sister, Carol Ann Heald. Tulsa area family members include John T. (Cindy) Heald, Michelle Heald (Tim) Salmon, Matthew Heald, Michael (Jackie) Heald and their families.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

A visitation is scheduled from 2:00 - 4:00 PM on Friday, March 20, 2026, at Fitzgerald Funeral Services (Southwood) in Tulsa. A funeral mass and burial will follow at the Calvary Cemetery chapel on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Cedar Rapids, IA