Obituary of Fern Siebersma

Fern Margaret (Mayer) Siebersma, the daughter of Esther (Philiph) and Alvin Mayer was born on March 11, 1927. She spent her childhood on a farm near May City and graduated from Hartley High School in 1945. She played girl's basketball during high school and her team qualified for the Iowa State Girls 'High School finals. Fern was an all tournament team guard. She was united in marriage to Steve (Bud) Siebersma on September 17, 1945. The couple owned and operated The May City Store for many years. Bud also served as Postmaster and a volunteer firefighter during those years. They were members of St. John's Lutheran Church in May City. In 1964 they moved to Lake Park, Iowa where Bud worked as a rural mail carrier and Fern worked for the Wells Blue Bunny Dairy Company. They later moved to Milford, Iowa where Fern worked for DeSpain Portrait Studio for many years, retiring at age 70. Fern was an avid photographer and took wonderful family pictures, enjoyed fishing trips to Canada with family and loved to read. Fern passed away at Hilltop Care Center in Spirit Lake on July 11, 2011. Left to cherish her memory is her husband of 65 years, Bud; daughters Judy (Gary) Ries of Milford, Iowa; Jane (Ogden) Confer of Minneapolis, Minnesota: and son Steve (Jacqui) of Story, Wyoming; three grandchildren, Donette (Troy) McKnight; Justin Ries; Kristin (Jim) Matejcek; brothers Roger Mayer of Haines City, Florida, and Lyle (Audrey) Mayer of Hartley, Iowa; sisters-in-law Loretta Peterson and Joanne Siebersma: many nieces and nephews and her beloved pet, Lucy. She was preceded in death by her parents and several sisters-in law and brothers-in-law.