Rebecca Ruth Seuntjens 1962-2012

SEUNTJENS GREGERSON HESSE

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 9/20/2012 at 09:56:40

Sioux City Journal
September 04, 2012

DANBURY, Iowa | Becky Seuntjens, 49, of Danbury died Friday, Aug. 31, 2012, of injuries suffered in a lawn mower rollover accident near Danbury.

Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Danbury, with the Revs. Dan Greving and Jim Titgges officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Mapleton, Iowa. Visitation will be after 4 p.m. today, with a vigil wake service at 7 p.m., at the church. Visitation will resume from 9 a.m. until service time Wednesday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Armstrong Funeral Home in Danbury and Mapleton. Online condolences can be directed to the family and the obituary can be found at www.armstrongfuneral.com.

Rebecca Ruth Seuntjens was born on Dec. 26, 1962, in Battle Creek, Iowa, the daughter of James Spaulding and Ruth (Gregerson) Hesse. She grew up on a farm outside of Ricketts, Iowa. When Becky was 8, her family moved to Mapleton. She attended Mapleton Public School and graduated from Maple Valley High School with the Class of 1981. She furthered her education by attending Morningside College in Sioux City.

On July 23, 1982, she married Stan Seuntjens at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Danbury and into the union, five children were born.

As a child, she treasured going trucking with her dad and helping out on the farm. She had a love for horses and had many while growing up. She was active in softball and enjoyed running track in high school. She was also a lifeguard for many years at the Mapleton pool and loved teaching the kids how to swim.

Becky was a teacher's assistant at Anthon-Oto Elementary School for two years. She enjoyed working with the kids at the school, and many of the students would always go to her for help. She also taught for a year at the Winnebago Reservation Public School in Winnebago, Neb.

She loved all five of her children very much and cherished watching each of them grow into young adults. She always made sure she was right there to help them out in any way she could. She enjoyed going to all of their school and sporting events. She made sure they were all very active in everything they could be in and always told them they could do anything possible.

Becky loved to be outside and had an eye for the beauty in things. She enjoyed gardening, planting many flowers and keeping her place looking beautiful. She loved taking care of her chickens, pigs, and cattle as well. You could always find her cooking up something good, and canning was one of her favorite hobbies. She also enjoyed going places, whether it was with her children or Wayne.

She took pride in the little bit of Native American background she had and loved to attend many powwows.

She recently became a grandmother, and that was the biggest joy to her.

Those family members left to embrace their memories of Becky are her five children, Sam and his special friend, Rhylie Wold of Anthon, Iowa, Dylan of Danbury, Courtney and her special friend, Mike Pithan of Anthon, Mac of Danbury, and Tanner and his special friend, Taylor Blake of Danbury; Wayne Hamman of Mapleton and his family; her mother, Ruth Hesse of Mapleton; her siblings, Brett Spaulding (Debbie) of Onawa, Iowa, Gina Kramer of Lennox, S.D., and Mona Spaulding of Omaha; her two grandchildren, Ledger Seuntjens and Lillian Pithan; along with many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, James Spaulding.