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Mrs. Annie Mae Dover Zirkle, 87 years old, passed on to her heavenly reward on Friday, January 23, 2026, at her home, surrounded by family members who will miss her dearly.
The family will receive friends at Bratton Funeral Home, 1455 Filbert Hwy, York, SC from 6-8 PM on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Funeral service will be at 1:00 PM on Wednesday January 28, 2026, at Sanctuary Hills Church of God of Prophecy, 1289 Lincoln Rd, York, SC 29745. Burial will follow at Lakeview Memory Gardens, Filbert Hwy, York, SC.
Annie Mae – or “Granny Annie”, as she was affectionately called by most everyone who knew her, was the widow of Sam Henry Zirkle. She was a daughter of the late Bub Dover and the late Lothesie Dover. She was born in York County and attended school in Sharon and Hickory Grove. She began working as a teenager at the Crest Dime Store in downtown York and then later in local textile mills: Gold Text, Cannon Mill, and Huntley Knitting.
She was a faithful and loyal member of The Church of God of Prophecy, where she served as clerk & treasurer, Sunday School teacher, Missionary Leader, and where she played piano and sang. She loved to sing for the Lord, and did so, at every opportunity. She lived her entire life in service and sacrifice for others. She was well known in the community for her Christian charity, which was exemplified by the way she lived her life. After retirement, she and her husband Sam became foster parents to many abused and neglected children of York County. Over the years, their home was a refuge for 86 foster children, as well as for others who needed a place to feel safe and call home.
She is survived by her daughters Wanda Z. Fincher (Bobby), Melissa Z. Neelands (Johnny), her sons Donald Wayne Zirkle (Sheila), Larry Frank Zirkle, and Jacob Lee Zirkle, and two “bonus” daughters Carrie Cales (Shaun) and Louise Rowell (Forrest). She is also survived by her brothers: Steve Dover, Acey Dover, Casey Dover, and Kenneth Dover, her sister Joyce Dover Ligon, her half-sisters Tonie Owens and Ann Harvell, and her sister/niece Tammy Dover. She leaves behind a legacy of 10 living grandchildren, 21 living great grand-children, 4 great-great grandchildren, 3 bonus grand-children, nephews and nieces, and many others who called her “Granny”.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her sisters Geraldine “Tootsie” Dover, and Olivene Dover Martin, her brothers Bub “Rooster” Dover, Jr., and Andrew Jackson “Jackie” Dover, her grandsons Damien Burns and Joshua Zirkle, and her great-grandsons Christian Fincher and Alexander Fincher.
In memory of Annie Mae Zirkle, memorials may be made to Agape Hospice, 1069 Bayshore Drive, Suite 102, Rock Hill, SC 29732; Sanctuary Hills Church of God of Prophecy, 1289 Lincoln Rd, York, SC 29745; Haven Ministries Church of God of Prophecy, 106 Hilltop Lane, Clover, SC 29710.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.brattonfuneralhome.com.
Bratton Funeral Home in York is honored to serve the Zirkle family.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Annie Mae (Dover) Zirkle, please visit our floral store.