Joanne Seibert

Joanne (nee Stark) Seibert died peacefully in Barrington, IL December 30,2011. With her was her husband of nearly 65 years, Eugene Henry Seibert and her children. Joanne was born in Milwaukee and raised in Wauwatosa, WI. She attended Beloit College and while there, became a lifelong member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.She met Gene Seibert during her freshman year and wrote to him religiously while he served in the Pacific during WWII. Their letters continued to be a cherished possession. After Joanne graduated from the University of Wisconsin, she and Gene were married at the Wauwatosa Methodist Church on January 25, 1947. They lived in Evanston and Libertyville, IL before moving in 1956 to Janesville, WI where she became actively involved in the community while raising their three children.Joanne's life focus was her family as she committed herself to being an incredible wife and mother.She was the hostess with the mostest, and enjoyed entertaining Gene's business associates at Parker Pen. She cheered her children on from the sidelines and jumped in to support their activities. She was a Cub Scout and Brownie leader, assisted the youth golf program at the Janesville Country Club, and was active in the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary and First Lutheran Church. She was a past President of AAUW and the Janesville Historical Society. After successfully beating cancer 46 years ago, Joanne returned to the University of Wisconsin to obtain her Master's Degree. She taught at Turner Middle School, Beloit, WI where she was known for her compassion and dedication. With her husband, Joanne was co-founder of Seibert Associates, a pre-retirement consulting firm. As a team, they worked with corporations around the country to help prepare employees and their spouses for retirement. As a talented writer, she wrote several pre-retirement how to manuals and contributed articles for national publications. In their own retirement, Joanne and Gene moved to Fountain Hills, AZ where she once again became involved in the community as Secretary of The Golden Eagle Foundation, and President of Welcome Wagon. She was active in PEO and the Arriba Del Lago Association. As members of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Joanne and Gene donated the stained glass window that graces the church's front alter. Returning to Illinois to be closer to their children, Joanne and Gene moved to The Garlands of Barrington, in 2003. Volunteering at Roslyn Road Elementary School and the Barrington Career Center, she never stopped helping others. She was a member of the Signal Hill Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a member of the Barrington United Methodist Church. Continuing her love for writing, she became well known for clever stories written for the Garland's newsletter from the perspective of her treasured dog P.D. (Perfect Dog). A favorite family memory will be Joanne’s love for the Christmas season and the care she put into making each year special. For over 50 years, it has been a Christmas Eve tradition for Joanne to read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to the family. This year was no exception. She is survived by her husband, Eugene, a daughter, Kathy (Seibert) Tschantz, and son-in-law, Ralph Tschantz, Omaha, NE, son Tom Seibert and daughter-in-law, Kathy (Clarkin) Seibert, Columbus, OH, and Kevin Seibert and daughter-in-law Lucinda (Scoville) Seibert, Barrington, IL. She treasured her eight delightful, beautiful grandchildren, Matthew, Bethany (Kevin Reade), and Michael (children of Tom and Kathy Seibert), Kristin, John , and Carly Tschantz (children of Kathy and Ralph Tschantz), and Sarah and Megan Seibert (children of Kevin and Lucinda Seibert). Several months ago she celebrated the birth of her first great-grandchild, Hudson Reade. Joanne is preceded in death by her parents, LaRue and Irma (Hawver) Stark, her sisters Eleanor (Fred Mitchel) and Barbara, and her beloved in-laws, Henry and Eunice (Liefbroer) Seibert. She will be laid to rest in Janesville during a private ceremony. A memorial service will be held January 21 at 11:30 A.M. at the Barrington United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Barrington United Methodist Church Memorial Fund.“And to all a goodnight”………….

---