Elizabeth B. Seiberling

Elizabeth "Betty" Behr Seiberling passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on May 23, 2017.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth Pope Behr and Augustus Edward Behr; her brothers, Edward and John Behr; and the love of her life, John, her husband of 59 years. She is survived by sons, John B. of Washington, D.C., David (Kelly Hillery) of Akron, and Stephen from Chapel Hill, N. C., and grandson, Evan in Akron; two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Seiberling Stiber of Shelter Is., N. Y. and Mary Seiberling Huhn of Chester, PA., a niece and nephews, and many cousins. In addition to the family, she is survived by her long time special caregiver and friend, Jackie Fay, as well as many other friends.
She was born December 27, 1920, and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. She graduated from Vassar College, a small girl's college in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. in the class of 1943. The second world war was in progress as Betty entered college, and college graduates were in high demand for war work. Her college major was German, with a minor in art history, so she was easily hired as a translator in the German department with the OSS, a precursor to the CIA. She worked in Washington, D. C., for a year and then was offered a position in London. Most of the heavy bombing was over, but at work they could still hear bombs flying over. After a year in London she was transferred to Germany where she translated and sorted information used in the trials at Neurenberg. It was during her time in Germany that she flew to Paris to meet her college roommate's brother, John Seiberling. She knew then that he was the one, but real love did not blossom until after the war and they were both back in the United States.
After their marriage in 1949, they settled in New York City where John was hired by the Bill Donovan law firm, coincidentally, Bill Donovan was her boss during the OSS years. Within two years John felt compelled to move back to Akron where there was green grass and open space. They eventually built a house in Bath where they lived for 36 years. During those years, Betty became a docent at the Akron Art Museum and later at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Even in her later years, being almost blind, she remembered every picture and every story about the pictures at Stan Hywet. The Kent State demonstration and subsequent killing of the students drastically changed Betty's life because John decided to run for Congress. Thus began an odyssey of life between Bath and Washington, D.C., a life she found exhilarating and challenging. After his congressional years, she became active with the League of Women Voters and the University of Akron Women's Club.
Betty will be remembered by those who loved her as one with a certain grace, a steadfast confidante and ally, very wise and always the optimist. John always said, "I could not have done it without you."
The family wishes that in lieu of flowers donations be made to John and Betty Seiberling Education Fund at the Akron Community Foundation, The Conservancy of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, or Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Memorial services honoring Betty's life will be June 30, 2017 at Billow Fairlawn Chapel. (Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)