Richard (Dick) Siebert

Submitted by Naomi Matthes and Ellie Sharp, sisters

We tried to make a “crazy quilt pattern” block with fabric that would tell a few things about Richard, or Dick, as we called him.

He was the youngest of 4 children with three siblings, 2 sisters and a brother. He was visually challenged from birth, never married, but enjoyed the company of a lady friend till his final day. He worked 32 years at the Communications Center, Minnesota Services for the Blind, and owned his own home for 23 years.

We often saw him napping in his big chair or a big chair in our homes. He had many different styles of hats, always wore a hat and seldom left the house without one.

He had a garden in his back yard. His big thing was different kinds of tomato and pepper plants which he started from seed under grow lights in his basement. He liked to cook and we all know the power of his “chili.” For several years he had a grape arbor in his yard and we helped him pick the grapes and make jam and jelly.

He liked birds, having bird houses and feeders that he vigorously discouraged squirrels from invading. He also had a bat house that attracted a few bats.

Dick liked listening to music, mostly classical music, and enjoyed attending many symphony concerts with his friend, Maggie. In later years he listened to CDs and tapes. He read many books and in the last years listened to books on tape. You could ask him about most any subject and he would have read something about it or had seen it on TV and could give you an answer. He liked watching football games, keeping up with the Minnesota Vikings.

He liked flowers and always had geraniums and petunias in flowerpots on his patio. Unable to find fabric like that, we chose a patch of “Forget-Me-Nots” to say we will not forget him, he will always live on in our memories.