Betty Seibel
Betty Mildred (Newton) Seibel was born Sept. 10, 1922, and died July 24, 2017, at the age of 94 years. She was born in Peabody, Kansas, the second child of Iva Myrtle and Walter Benton Newton. She attended school in Peabody and graduated from Peabody High School in 1942. Betty married her high school sweetheart, Wallace C. Seibel, better known as Vic or Victor, on April 5, 1943. They were married at her parent’s home in Peabody.
Betty was a lifelong member of First United Methodist, Peabody. She was active in United Methodist Women and weekly Bible study. She worked in the mid-1940s as a secretary at Peabody High School. Other jobs included clerking at J.C. Penney in Newton and at Jim’s and also Ralph’s grocery in Peabody. In the 1960s, Betty and Victor, with their children, owned and operated Vic’s Café in downtown Peabody. After retirement, Betty and Victor enjoyed traveling and spent several winters in Arizona.
Betty enjoyed hand quilting and she was still embroidering tea towels and pillow cases in the evenings for Christmas gifts. She made great pies and holiday peppernuts — every family group had peppernuts at Christmastime!
Betty and her good friends at Indian Guide enjoyed going out to eat, shopping at Wal-Mart, and getting pedicures in Newton. Betty’s evenings often included a few games of dominoes in the community room or long chats on the phone with family and friends.
Betty is survived by her children Judy Eskridge of Valley Center; Patricia Hall and Gary of Wichita; David Seibel and Deb of Des Moines; Richard Seibel and Sharla of Amarillo; and Bruce Brewer of Peabody; 23 grandchildren and spouses; 29 great-grandchildren and spouses; three great-great-grandchildren, with two more on the way; and all of her wonderful Peabody friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents Iva and Walter; husband Wallace; daughter Debra Brewer of Peabody; son-in-law Ron Eskridge Sr. of Valley Center; sister Emil Fern Vogt Unruh of Hillsboro; brother-in-law Leroy Seibel of Arizona; and nephew Jerold Vogt of Hillsboro.
Memorials have been established with Peabody First United Methodist Church and Peabody Senior Center.
We as family express special thanks to Dr. Roeser, her earthly physician and good friend, as well as to the nurses and aides at Newton Medical Center and Via Christi Ridge Rd., who all took wonderful, tender loving care of our mom, grandma, great-grandma, and great-great-grandma for her last nine weeks. Even though Betty could not communicate verbally, she continued to spread smiles and make friends almost to the very end of her life on this earth.
She will be missed every day, but we WILL see her again!