Obituary of Blanche Siegling
Blanche Louise Siegling passed away on July 4, 2025.
Blanche was born December 8, 1925, in Oasis, Iowa to Edward and Mary (Bohac) Lovetinsky. She graduated from West Branch High School in 1943. After graduating she attended the Cedar Rapids Business College. She met Lee Siegling at the dance hall in Swisher and together they raised 4 children. She lived a fulfilling life raising her children, being a homemaker and helping on the farm. She was active in T.P.M. (Thursday afternoon) Club, and served as a leader in Farm Bureau, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, and quilting. She worked for many years at ACT, Inc. in a variety of roles before her retirement.
Blanche and Lee were very active in the Farm Bureau in the 1970s and were the first simultaneous married co-presidents of the Men’s and Women’s branches of Johnson County. She and Lee were also in a square-dancing club. She loved to travel and enjoyed visiting her daughter Pat in Alaska on multiple occasions including helping out when the twins were born in 1975. Other memorable trips included frequent camping trips in Wisconsin and Missouri and spending part of the summer building a cabin for neighbor Ray Memler with Lee at Lake Kabetogema in northern Minnesota, and years later visiting her adoptive exchange students Piergiulio and Daniele DeStefano in Italy. Later on she enjoyed visiting son Jim and family in North Dakota and granddaughter Angie in Colorado.
She won the Blue Ribbon at the State Fair for her Milky Way ice cream in the late 1970s and was accomplished expert at crochet for which she also won a Blue Ribbon for a shawl she crocheted. When her son Scott became active in rock bands in the 1980s and 1990s Blanche was loved by all for her hospitality and the home-cooked meals she provided to visiting musical groups. She also famously met author Douglas Adams on his book tour for Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, who teased her “I don’t sign Dr. Who books!” when she brought one for Scott to be autographed.
She also enjoyed many bus trips with her daughters Pat and Janet and flower gardening, frequently bringing bouquets to church.
As a descendant of Czech immigrants, her culinary repertoire included the best kolaches, huge apple strudels which she would weigh, Cherry “Stuff” (Bublinina), and authentic Czech smoked sausage. Normally an understanding and sympathetic person, she was also a harsh critic of poorly executed kolaches.
In her last few years she enjoyed car rides around the neighborhood to see the progress in the fields and the beautiful Iowa big cloud days.
Survivors include 3 children: Patricia (Hugh) Maher, West Branch; Janet Thompson, Cedar Bluff; and Scott Siegling, West Branch; Eight grandchildren: Robin Mangold, Byungsuk Kim Siegling, Christopher Burnette, Pamela Melchert, Jennifer Olson, Alex Siegling, Bell and Araminta Siegling; Eight great grandchildren:Noel Hernandez, Angelina Winkelseth, Allesondra Eastman, Ashley Burnette, Marissa Burnette, Matthew Hicks, Parker Hicks, Maggie Wallace, Benjamin Wallace and Cailin Wallace; Great-Great grandchildren
Alun & Donovan Hicks, and foreign exchange students Piergiulio and Daniele De Stefano.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Lee, son James Siegling and his wife Kathy, son-in-law Larry Thompson and granddaughter Angela Hicks.
The family requests that memorials be given to the Oasis Cemetery (c/o Steve Hemingway, 5477 280th NE, Iowa City, IA 52240.)
