Siefer, Mary K. (1927-2013)
SIEFER, WIEDEBURG, MAY, SAUERBRY, KRUSEMARK, OVERMANN, BOYD, WISE, SHELTON, AUGUSTINE, LARSEN, VAN DYKE, CRAIG
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 7/6/2013 at 23:50:19
Mary K. Siefer
March 20, 1927 - June 16, 2013Storm Lake, Iowa
Mary Siefer, age 86, of Storm Lake, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, June 16, 2013, at her home after a short illness.
Our mother, Mary Katherine Siefer, was born on March 20, 1927, to Charles and Clara Wiedeburg in what she later referred to as the “windy hills” of Burns, Wyoming. She had a twin sister, Marian, an older sister, Naomi, and a younger brother, Jack. A child of the depression, she always claimed that her family considered themselves very lucky because her father had a job with the railroad. In 1940, her family moved to Sidney, Nebraska, where she graduated from high school in 1945, and then, she met her future husband.
On September 28, 1947, she married J. Robert "Bob" Siefer at the First Methodist Church in Sidney. They lived on a wheat farm west of Dalton, Nebraska, and we four children—John, Dan, Jane, and Laurie—soon arrived. In 1960, our family moved to Hastings, Nebraska, where our father took a job with Hastings College. During the next six summers, we moved back to the farm to tend the crops. Mother, who dearly loved farm life, particularly the wide-open, blue Nebraska sky, remained forever nostalgic about that time. We remember her preparing big noon dinners for the harvesters, hanging clothes on the line, playing cards with the family, and listening to the radio. She especially liked the songs, “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer,” and later, “Surfer Girl”.
In 1966, our family moved to Storm Lake, where our dad began a long career at Buena Vista College. Over the years, Mom worked tirelessly as a volunteer in her church and community. She served as President of PEO, President of the Presbyterian Women, an elder of Lakeside Presbyterian Church, and a long-time church choir member. She initiated and led the 4-H club, The Storm Lake Senoritas, and served for many years as a Big Sister. She also worked as a volunteer greeter with Bob for special guests and trustees of both Hastings College and Buena Vista College.
Our mother was special to us for so many reasons, but probably the biggest was her warm, cheerful, upbeat nature. She loved life and saw little reason to be anything but happy. Even when we chatted with her on the phone, we could “hear” her smiling! She had a great interest in music and taught herself to play the piano, often playing for the simple joy of it or for a family sing-along. In her free time, she and Dad traveled abroad several times and also made an endless number of trips to their children’s homes, always arriving with a container of her cookies in hand. A tremendous cook, our mom was especially famous for her pies and cinnamon rolls. A wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, she dearly loved her family. She and our dad attended every graduation and wedding for each of their twelve grandchildren as well as countless ball games, plays, and programs. Mom also enjoyed reading, playing bridge, watching the Hawkeyes and the Cornhuskers, and following politics.
About thirteen years ago, our parents moved to their present home, where mom became enthralled with her view of the lake. She loved watching the way it sparkled and moved, just as she had so many years before loved watching the golden fields of wheat ripple and wave in the sun. She also loved Dad’s flower garden and having afternoon tea with her neighbors on the deck. But most of all, she loved our dad, and the two were fortunate enough to share a marriage for almost sixty-six years. A honeymoon picture of our mom shows her smiling in front of a lake where they happened to rent a cabin on the way home to western Nebraska from the Ozarks; ironically, that lake turned out to be Storm Lake!
Those who cherish our mother’s memory include her husband, Bob Siefer, of Storm Lake; her children: John (Marianne) Siefer, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Dan (Merrianne) Siefer, of Storm Lake, Jane (Jim) May, of Friendswood, Texas, and Laurie (Steve) Sauerbry, of Apple Valley, Minnesota; her grandchildren: Jeremy (Rory) Siefer, of San Antonio, Texas, Josh (Lauren) Siefer, of Los Angeles, Shere (Matt) Krusemark, of Woodbury, Minnesota, Dana Siefer, of Storm Lake, Natalie (Jed) Overmann, of Shoreview, Minnesota , Emily (Matt) Boyd, of Eagan, Minnesota, Jessica Siefer, of Mendota Heights, Minnesota, Meredith (Rob) Wise, of Friendswood, Texas, James (Taryn) May, of Los Angeles, Chelsea (Brad) Shelton, of Chicago, and Molly (Brent) Augustine, of Minneapolis; and her great grandchildren: Zach, Gracie, Addie, Drew, Olivia, Nora, Robbie, Maryn, Ava, and Jack; her twin sister, Marian Larsen, of Denver; her brother, Jack Wiedeburg, of Liberty, Missouri; and her sister-in-law, Betty Jean Van Dyke, of Bellvue, Washington; as well as by many nieces and nephews.
Mary is preceded in death by her beloved granddaughter, Amanda May; her sister, Naomi Craig; and her parents.
Memorials may be made to the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Foundation for the cancer center or the Buena Vista Scholarship Fund.
Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m., June 21, 2013, at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake, Iowa.
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