Blanche Spaulding
Obituary
Blanche (Brobeil) Spaulding passed away on June 25, 2011.
She was born on Nov. 3, 1913, the only child of Charles and
Maude (Long) Brobeil. She grew up on a farm in Sac City, Iowa, where music and
books were a part of everyday life. She earned her bachelor of science degree
in home economics education from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Following her graduation from college, she served one year
as Boone County (Iowa) Home Demonstration agent. The following year, she was a
graduate student in the U.S.D.A. graduate school on a Payne 4-H Scholarship.
She returned to Ames to become assistant State 4-H Club leader in the Extension
Service.
On Dec. 31, 1940, she married J. Lloyd Spaulding, who was
employed by the U.S.D.A. In 1947, the Spauldings moved to North Newton, where
Lloyd joined the faculty of Bethel College. The Spauldings remained at Bethel
College, except for a four year period in Wichita, where Lloyd served as
regional secretary of the American Friends Service Committee.
Blanche served for many years as the librarian of the
Western District Loan Library. As part of that experience, she started a preschool
story hour in 1976. For 29 years, this joy was a part of Blanche's life as she
regularly shared stories with children in Western District Library, Community
Play School, Kauffman Museum, Newton Medical Center Child Care and countless
story times in school classrooms, Scout troops and camps.
Blanche enjoyed teaching in any form. She started teaching
in a country school when she was 18 and concluded her career as a member of the
Bethel College faculty, teaching courses in children's literature and teaching
children in the church for several years.
Blanche and Lloyd celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
before Lloyd moved to Kidron Bethel Health Care early in 1994. In November of
that year, Blanche moved to an independent living apartment at Kidron Bethel.
Blanche is survived by her son, Jay Spaulding, and his wife,
Stephanie Beswick, of Muncie, Ind.; son, Timothy Spaulding, and his wife,
Reneé, and their sons, Michael and Ryan of Oswego, Ill.; daughter, Susan
Graves, and her husband, Jon, and their daughter, Kimberly Wenger, and her
husband, Nicholas, of Wichita, and their son, William Graves, and his wife,
Sarah, of Las Cruces, N.M.; and great-grandchildren, Jakob, Jackson and
Caroline Wenger of Wichita.
Visitation with the family will be from 4 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday at Kidron Bethel in the Sunroom. A memorial service will be at 11
a.m. Thursday at Bethel College Mennonite Church in North Newton.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions
be made toward the memorial gifts: Blanche Spaulding Children's Literature
Scholarship, J. Lloyd Spaulding Business Endowment and Western District
Conference Resource Library Children's Collection
