Beth Elaine Thompson Sheeley
SHEELEY, THOMPSON, CULBERTSON, SMIT, WILSON, HANSON, ZIDLICKY
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 12/6/2019 at 13:49:00
Beth Elaine Thompson Sheeley, 93, of Coralville passed away November 20, 2019 at The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County.
A funeral service will be held Monday, November 25, 2019 at 11:00 AM at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1701 8th Street, Coralville, with Rev. Dr. Mitchell Otto officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Private burial will be at the First Lutheran Cemetery in St. Ansgar, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Lutheran World Relief, The Bird House or Iowa City Hospice.
Beth was born July 20, 1926 in Chester, Iowa to Arthur Milton “Milt” and Enid (Culbertson) Thompson. She grew up in several small communities in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa and had fond memories of delivering milk in glass bottles from her father’s dairy herd. A basketball player and solid student, she graduated in a class of three from Chester High.
Beth entered Iowa Teachers College during WW2 as an art student and left with an elementary teaching certificate. She subsequently taught a few years and later substituted in the Maquoketa and Perry school districts.As a young woman, Beth met Glenn Sheeley, a handsome Navy man on the skating rink. They later married and traveled in the circle of life for the next five decades, raising six children and partnering in small businesses. The couple owned and operated an A&W Root Beer Stand in Maquoketa for nine years and a Ben Franklin store in Ackley for 25 years.
It was during this chapter in her life that Beth contributed to her church and community in many capacities. She served on the church council, and her murals graced the sanctuary during church holidays. As a city councilwoman, she advocated for the reconstruction of a community swimming pool, the development of Prairie Bridges Park and the establishment of a local food bank.Beth and Glenn moved to Coralville in 2000, where Glenn died in May of 2001. While residing in Coralville, Beth met many new friends through Bible studies and bridge groups. As it became difficult to live independently, she moved to Melrose Meadows in 2014 then to Atrium Village in 2018.
Survivors include her children, Neal (Rhonda) Sheeley of Decorah, IA, Joan (Tom) Smit of Bonaire Island, Lisa (Scott) Wilson of Iowa City, IA, Doug (Nedra) Sheeley of Mitchellville, IA, and Tim (Amber) Sheeley of Solon, IA; her daughter-in-law, Joy Sheeley of Moscow, IA; one sister, Donna Hanson of LeRoy, MN; 16 grandchildren, Nathan, Trevor, Sara, Anna, Erin, Kelsey, Peter, Nick, Blake, Abbie, Heith, Seth, Ella, Brynn, Gabe and Ike, and 14 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one son, Kent Sheeley, and three siblings, Charles “Chuck” Thompson, Dean Thompson and Gatriel Zidlicky.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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