JOETTA KATHERINE SEIBEL's Obituary
After a valiant battle with cancer, Joetta Katherine Seibel passed away on Friday, February 27, 2009 at age 88 in Nassawadox on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Joetta was born July 23, 1920, in Cedar City, Utah, near where her parents, Peyton Walker Taylor and Gladys Amanda Taylor (b. Slaughter) were homesteading in the Hamlin Valley. At a very early age she established a reputation as the undisputed ruler of her younger sister, earning nicknames of Jazette of the Purple Sage and Tuffy Taylor. The family moved to San Bernardino, California, when Joetta was four. She was the oldest of three siblings, including sister Betty Jane Bullen of Port Ludlow, WA and Donald Peyton Taylor of Barstow, CA. She attended San Bernardino High School and later Valley College.
Joetta married her high school sweetheart, David Savage, in 1938. David practiced veterinary medicine in San Bernardino his whole life, with Joetta an integral part of the business. Joetta and David were married for 25 years. They had two children – David Earl (Swede) Savage and Bruce Peyton Savage. Swede was killed at age 26 while racing at the Indy 500. Bruce is a businessman on Kauai, Hawaii.
In 1964 Joetta married Charles “Duke” Seibel, a prominent San Bernardino businessman. Her marriage to Duke brought with it two daughters, Joanie Bayes of Visalia, CA and Millie Kline of Long Beach, CA. All four children were teenagers at the time and raising them was in itself a full time job. Nevertheless, Joetta turned to the tasks at hand with boundless energy and helped manage Duke’s appliance store until its closure. Duke passed away in 1989. They were married 25 years.
Joetta received a real estate broker’s license and worked as a realtor in her father’s office in Highland, CA. She became the first woman member of the local Elk’s Club. After the death of her father Peyton in 1987, she devoted her life to the care of her mother until Gladys' death in 1990.
For the last 15 years, Joetta lived in Virginia with her longtime and loving lifepartner, Wally Widgeon, retired Air Force and social worker.
Joetta is survived Wally, by her sister Betty and brother Donald, son Bruce (m. Colette Sweet), daughters Joanie and Millie (m. Bob Kline), Swede’s wife Sheryl, grandchildren John, Angela (m. Scott Jackson), David, Amanda, Katie, Paul (m. Michelle), Lizzie, Mickey (m. Laura) and Aaron (m. Missy), nephews Chuck (m. Jo Anne), Mike, and Bart, and niece Barbara (m. Don). She was preceded in death by granddaughter Shelly in 1995. She is also survived by eleven great-grandchildren; Chance, Steven, Garrett, Aaron, Tyler, Beth-Renee, Mickey II, Ian, Jason, Chelsea, Ryan, and Becca and by one great-great-grandchild, Kamryn.
Visitation will be from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, Friday, March 6th, at Bobbitt Memorial Chapel, 1299 E. Highland Ave, San Bernardino (909) 882-3761. Services will be held at Bobbitt Memorial Chapel at 2:00 PM, Saturday, March 7th.
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