Annette 'Nettie' Seib

Obituary



Annette Seib, who was born into the Depression in Hays, Kansas, and went on to become the matriarch of a large and happy family, died Tuesday night. She was 88.

Annette was married for almost 69 years to Richard Seib. Together they raised seven children who were the center of their lives, and watched with pride as their family grew to 22 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Known to family and friends as Nettie and Dick, they were fixtures in their St. Josephs Parish community in Hays until they moved in recent years to be near sons in the Kansas City area.

Annette Louise Doerfler was born on Oct. 23, 1933, the 10th of 11 children of Joseph and Agnes Doerfler. Her father was, among other things, the sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas, for a time, which led to a memorable period in which his family lived in the county courthouse and jail facility.

Growing up in Western Kansas amid the difficult economic times of the Depression left a lasting impression on Nettie and instilled in her a lifelong tendency toward frugality; among other things, she was known to reuse coffee grinds for a second pot. She also developed an appreciation of the importance of family and faith and the value of work.

That appreciation of work, in fact, led her to meet the man who became the love of her life. While at Girls Catholic High School in Hayswhere she served as junior class presidentNettie took a job as a car hop at the Yankee Dollar, a drive-in restaurant in Hays. There, one night, a handsome young farm boy named Richard Seib volunteered to drive her home after work.

That meeting blossomed into romance and eventually to marriage.

But their young marriage was soon interrupted by war. Her husbands National Guard unit was activated and sent to Korea when war broke out there, forcing him to leave behind Annette as she was expecting their first child. Tom Seib was born while his father was overseas.

After the war, the young couple went on to have six more children, while a beloved niece, Belinda Seib, effectively became a member of the immediate family as well. All of them attended the Catholic high schools known variously as St. Josephs Military Academy, Thomas More Prep and Marian High School in Hays.

Nettie was an active and involved parent in her childrens schools, as well as in parish life. She also was a skilled pinochle and dominos player, a noodle maker, and a master at stretching a dollar.

As her children grew older, she resumed working outside the home for several years as a sales associate at K-Mart, a job she embraced with relish.

One skill Nettie never mastered was the ability to sit still. Sitting through a single episode of a TV show, much less a long movie, was a struggle for someone who was always seized with the need to be up and about, doing somethinganythingconstructive.

In retirement, Nettie and Dick were regular travelers for as long as their health allowed, crossing the state of Kansas, and periodically the country, to be with their children and grandchildren. Christmases often were brightened by gifts of handmade crocheted afghans and embroidered kitchen towels she shared with her family.

In her final days at Colonial Village in Overland Park, Kansas, Nettie never lost that nervous energy that kept her moving throughout her days, even as physical frailties made that more difficult. Her motto, often expressed to visitors and staff members alike, was that she felt a need to "go, go, go.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2019 and by two infant grandchildren.

She is survived by a sister, Kathy Rohr, of Hays, and a brother, Harold, of Hutchinson, Kan.; and by her children Tom (Cheryl) of Lincoln, Neb.; Phyllis (Robert) Brack of Bay St. Louis, Miss.; Debbie (Bob) Lang of Amarillo, Tex.; Jerry (Barbara) of Chevy Chase, Md.; Jeff (Kelly) of Overland Park, Kan.; Paul (Johnna) of Kansas City, Mo.; and Pat (Susie) of Overland Park, Kan.; and by Belinda (Merle) Mahoney of Hutchinson, Kan.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Josephs Church in Hays at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 13, with burial at St. Josephs Cemetery.

There will be a visitation 5 p.m. 8 p.m. on Sunday evening, Dec. 12, with a VFW Auxiliary rosary at 5:30 p.m. and a combined parish vigil and rosary service at 7 p.m. all at Brock's-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine in Hays.

If desired, friends may make memorial contributions in Annette Seibs name to TMP-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays.

Condolences may be shared by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at keithleyfuneralhomes@gmail.com





















Services







Visitation Sunday

December 12, 2021

5:00 PM to 8:00 PM



2509 Vine Street

Hays, Kansas 67601









Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Sunday

December 12, 2021

5:30 PM



2509 Vine Street

Hays, Kansas 67601









Combined rosary and vigil service Sunday

December 12, 2021

7:00 PM



2509 Vine Street

Hays, Kansas 67601









Funeral Mass Monday

December 13, 2021

10:00 AM

St. Joseph Catholic Church

210 W. 13th

Hays, Kansas 67601