Michelle "Shelley" Staber 1954-2010

STABER MATTHEWS CALVILLO

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 2/20/2011 at 21:57:01

Sioux City Journal
16 June 2010

SIOUX CITY -- Michelle "Shelley" Staber, 55, of Sioux City passed away Sunday, June 13, 2010, at her residence following a year long illness with non-small cell lung cancer.

Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, with the Rev. Merlin Schrad officiating. Private graveside services will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be 5 to 8 p.m. today, with a vigil service at 7 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Condolences may be sent online to meyerbroschapels.com.

Michelle was born July 17, 1954, in Sioux City, to Patricia (Matthews) Calvillo and Trinidad Calvillo. Through her grade school years, she attended Immaculate Conception. Later, she attended Bishop Heelan Catholic High School. Upon graduating, she pursued a fine arts degree at Morningside College.

She married Howard M. Staber on Jan. 5, 1974, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. In 1981, her family relocated to Sioux Falls, S.D., where they spent nine years. In 1990, Michelle and her family returned to Sioux City.

During the time preceded her death, she began painting again and was asked to docent at the Sioux City Art Center, where she participated in the educational program, Art Works for fifth-grade students. Along with this, she also taught art classes for several years. It was during this time that she was invited to a juried showing, where one of her works was displayed. She continued to be actively involved in the arts through teaching, painting and supporting local artists. Her gift of bringing life to a blank canvas through painting found itself bringing life to the natural world, for she was also an accomplished gardener.

Painting was not the only art Michelle excelled at; she had a beautiful voice to which she used to cantor for St. Joseph's Cathedral in Sioux Falls and Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City. Besides her love of art, music and nature, she always said that her greatest accomplishments were her marriage and children, Meggan, Katie and John Staber.

She is survived by her parents, Trinidad Calvillo of Sioux City and Patricia Calvillo of Sioux City; her husband, Howard of Sioux City; two daughters, Meggan and her husband, Ryan Fox of Des Moines and Katie and her husband, Matt Nice of Sioux Center, Iowa; her son, John Staber and his wife, Angela of Davenport, Iowa; four siblings, Mary Kimberly Calvillo, Amy Moeller, Patty Nutzman and Michael Calvillo, all of Sioux City; her four grandchildren, Johnny Fox, Winnifred and Calvin Nice and Aubrey Staber; and one special friend, Anna Mohrhauser.

Pallbearers will be Mike and Christopher Calvillo, Matthew and Patrick Watkins, Jim Nutzman, and Andrew Moeller. Honorary pallbearers will be Laura Lindgren, Jill Conrad, Mary Beth Thompson, Brenda Parezo, Michelle Moeller, Joanne Calvillo and Anna Mohrhauser.

Memorials may be directed to Hospice of Siouxland.