- Arthur W. Siebers ("Uncle Art") passed away 12/30/2015. Art was born in Kaukauna on 9/12/1920. He is the son of the late John & Josephine (Green) Siebers.
At a young age, Art left Wisconsin riding the rails West. He settled in Kennewick, Washington, working part-time as a roofer & cleaning restrooms to earn his stay at the Bateman Hotel, while going to school on the GI bill. In 1950, he received his diploma from Pasco High School & in 1953, he received his Electrical Diploma from Perry Technical Institute in Yakima, WA. After 10 years of living in various cities in the state of Washington, he moved to San Jose, CA where he lived most of his life & worked as an Industrial Electrician.
Art had a fascinating & full life. He did just about everything to earn money. He lived in Mitchell, SD for a time where he farmed, herded sheep, built speed boats & blew them up, souped up cars & tried to outrun police, until he couldn't afford the fines. He picked cherries, owned a roofing business, a motor winding business, a welding shop, & built his own apartment buildings.
He wrote a short-story for the Reader's Digest, "Communism & The Honey Bee". He designed & built an Asian-themed yard at his home in CA which was featured in Better Homes and Gardens.
Art picked up a button accordion upside down at age 7 and played it that way throughout his lifetime. There were many jam sessions that sometimes included his brothers Jerry & Floyd playing the harmonica, his cousin Kenny playing the washboard, & his sister-in-law Janice playing the drums. He enjoyed gardening & having tomato growing competitions with his sister-in-law, Janice. Art loved to cook & was famous for his potato salad, date nut cake, & corned beef & cabbage. He enjoyed rock hounding, creating jewelry he called "A Work of Art" out of his home business, Earth Treasures.
Art was a generous & giving person making sure he always had a small rock or jewelry token to give to his doctor, mail carrier, or kids who had a sparkle in their eye to become the next rock hound.
Art joined the Navy in 1944 & served as a Seaman 1st Class, until his honorable discharge in Bremerton, WA in 1946.
Art was a life member of the Kaukauna VFW Post 3319, The American Legion, Green Bay Shrine Club & was a member of the SuperCycle unit, Scottish Rite, IBEW Local 332 for over 60 years, Kennewick (WA) Lodge 153 & received his Masonic apron in 1955. He transferred to the Appleton Waverly Lodge 51 & was a member of the Fidelity Chapter 94 Order of the Eastern Star. He was a confirmed member of the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints in1958 & was ordained a Mormon Deacon.
Art is survived by his brothers Floyd & Ron (Mary) both of Kaukauna, & a sister Lorraine (John) Stoeger, Appleton; & many wonderful nieces and nephews.
Art was preceded in death by his wife Tina, parents; his brothers, Harvey (Vivian), Emmett "Bing" & Gerald "Jerry", David (Mary); his sisters, Cordell "Corky" (Frank) Ringwelski, Elizabeth "Betty" (Cletus) Schaefer, Laverne (Walter) Johnson, & Florence Siebers, Madelyn (Louis) Bergeron; & his close cousin Kenny (Ruth) Siebers.
After retirement, Art returned to the Fox Valley & his extended family, where he became a loving & beloved presence, always available to help & taking part in a wide variety of activities & trips, particularly with his sister-in-law, Janice Siebers & her children: Dennis (Lynn Clark), Appleton; Gary (Diane), California; Dale (Sharon), Little Chute; Rick (Sandy), Appleton; Cindy (Dick Kirk) and daughter, Krisha (Brant), Appleton; Scott, Kaukauna; & Wendy (Jerry), Appleton. They shared a close bond, & he treated them as his children. In return, they gave Uncle Art their love, care, & support through the years and were with him at his passing.
Thank you to neighbor Guy & Kris Breit for taking care of Art's yard, inviting him to parties, & visiting with him; his very special friends Helen & Ken Mclellan & Barbara (Tom) Coghlan that sent cards & shared jokes through the years; Roy Rogers for praying with Art & listening to his life story, Heartland Hospice, VA, & the many friends Art made during his travels.
If we have missed thanking anyone, please know that Art is aware of your special feelings & thanks you for being a part of his life.
A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, January 3, 2016 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with a military salute following, at Highland Memorial Park, Star of Hope Chapel, 3131 N. Richmond Street, Appleton. Inurnment will take place at the Garden of Valor in the Veterans Memorial section of the cemetery during the week.
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1920 - 2015 (95 years)
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Military Service
