Georgia A. Sievers
September 5, 1924 — March 30, 2014
On the evening of Sunday March 30, Georgia Sievers, age 89, died peacefully surrounded by her family. All of her children and grandchildren were with her sharing her last days. She skyped into the Dea retirement party two days earlier and had clothes in her closet ready to attend just in case she had been able.
Georgia has been called a dynamo, a community institution, an educator, but was mostly a fighter.
Georgia Anne Rogers battled poverty with her family during the Depression. She lost her 10 year old twin sister Virginia and oldest brother Tommy to typhoid fever. She and her younger sister Hazel and brothers James and Patrick worked their family farm and sought higher education. Georgia obtained an associate’s degree and worked as a physicist during WWII. She later graduated from the University of Iowa and taught in Pilot Mound and later in Avoca where she met Earl Sievers on a blind date, married and had 5 children: Paula Davis, M.D. UI, Patrick Sievers, DVM, ISU, Sondra Dea, BS ISU, Lisa Sievers, BS ISU, PhD Rensselaer, post-doc MIT, and Virginia Sievers, BA UI.
Georgia fought for her community. She believed in Avoca, spearheading the renovation of the Avoca courthouse, working for the swimming pool (both the original pool and the current water park and City Park), advocating for main street improvements, the cannon for the veteran’s memorial plaza, and the Avoca golf and country club. She loved AvoHa/AHST high school football and was in her car watching the Friday night game until her health sidelined her. She actively managed their Century Farm after Earl died in 2006; only hiring a farm manager in 2013.
Georgia worked for the renovation of the Avoca Courthouse. She tirelessly sought funding, advice from preservation architects and builders, and promoted the courthouse as a centerpiece for main street Avoca.
Georgia fought for Southwest Iowa. She was a member of the Iowa Board of Public Instruction and was part of the board that created area community colleges and tech schools. She worked tirelessly to have Iowa Western Community College located in Avoca and when that did not work out, was a strong supporter of the Council Bluffs location. Georgia was a community Director of Jennie Edmondson hospital outreach committee.
Georgia was a member of the founding board of Iowa West Racing and when the opportunity came to advocate for local causes in the Iowa West Foundation Board, she pushed for the needs of Avoca and surrounding eastern Pottawattamie county. She was a proponent of supporting rural community streetscapes, improving recreational facilities and roads in rural area and enabled financing for those improvements.
Georgia believed in Iowa and she believed in the American political system. She fought tirelessly for the Democratic Party locally, at the state level and as a national committee woman for the Democratic Party in Washington. She and her husband Earl lobbied for regional agricultural issues. She worked locally for candidates from Adlai Stevenson to John F Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. She even convinced avid Republican Lt. Col. Wm. Dea to escort her to Bill Clinton’s Inauguration. She enjoyed the political fight (which is a good thing as a Democrat in Iowa).
Georgia fought for education. She taught, tutored and facilitated scholarships her entire life. She was a member of the Iowa Board of Public Instruction when that board founded the system of area community colleges and established educational TV in Iowa. She was a founding member of the Iowa Educational Radio and Television Board and liaison between the board and Friends of IPBN. Her rural advocacy views were challenged in 1965 when Life Magazine and others printed a picture of Amish school children running into corn fields to avoid going to schools that taught more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Although she had many accomplishments, Georgia delighted in special times with her family. She taught every child and grandchild to drive in the hay fields and at the fairgrounds in Avoca, shared the local treasure of Botna Bend buffalo and elk and Oakland Dairy Queen, and the windmills on the family farm. Georgia enjoyed quilting. She shared the warmth of her creations with her entire family. She sewed clothes for her California son-in-law and grandkids who told people their shorts came from “Giorgio of Iowa.” She loved flowers and gardening, even while having severe lung problems and allergies. She gave all her children a love of flowers. She taught floral arranging throughout SW Iowa and was a member of Avoca Garden Club and worked to establish community garden areas. Georgia enjoyed bridge from couples bridge with Earl in her early married years to playing marathon in recent years.
Georgia was deeply loved by all her children and grandchildren. Her grandson Franklin took his first job at CAM so he could live in her basement and care for her and her yard and share stories with her for two years after she had extensive abdominal surgery.
Georgia was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 1989 and received awards from 3 different governors. Her induction to the Women’s Hall of Fame stated “Georgia has a philosophy of commitment—‘keep farming strong to keep the economy strong; work hard in politics to facilitate good education and health programs; and work on appropriate Boards to see that these goals are met’ . . .and Iowa is a better place because of it!” Georgia continued fighting for her beliefs in the 25 years since.
Georgia was preceded in death by her husband Earl and youngest daughter Virginia. She leaves behind her caring family: daughter Paula and her husband Ken Davis of Grandview, MO, son Patrick and his wife Lyda Denney of Vernon NY, daughter Sondra and husband Bill Dea of Avoca, daughter Lisa and her husband Greg Neat of La Canada CA: grandchildren Quincy and Lea Anne Dea of Treynor, Iowa; Patrick Dea and Scott Booher of Minneapolis, Franklin and Hope Dea of Boise, ID, Caitlin Davis of Grandview, and Rita, Abbey and Leo Neat of LaCanada, California; 2 great grandchildren Gallatin and Irelyn Dea; sister Hazel Poage of Omaha NE, brother and sister-in-law W. Patrick and Ellen Rogers of Littleton CO, and brother and sister-in-law James and Joanne Rogers of Milwaukie OR.
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Georgia has been called a dynamo, a community institution, an educator, but was mostly a fighter.
Georgia Anne Rogers battled poverty with her family during the Depression. She lost her 10 year old twin sister Virginia and oldest brother Tommy to typhoid fever. She and her younger sister Hazel and brothers James and Patrick worked their family farm and sought higher education. Georgia obtained an associate’s degree and worked as a physicist during WWII. She later graduated from the University of Iowa and taught in Pilot Mound and later in Avoca where she met Earl Sievers on a blind date, married and had 5 children: Paula Davis, M.D. UI, Patrick Sievers, DVM, ISU, Sondra Dea, BS ISU, Lisa Sievers, BS ISU, PhD Rensselaer, post-doc MIT, and Virginia Sievers, BA UI.
Georgia fought for her community. She believed in Avoca, spearheading the renovation of the Avoca courthouse, working for the swimming pool (both the original pool and the current water park and City Park), advocating for main street improvements, the cannon for the veteran’s memorial plaza, and the Avoca golf and country club. She loved AvoHa/AHST high school football and was in her car watching the Friday night game until her health sidelined her. She actively managed their Century Farm after Earl died in 2006; only hiring a farm manager in 2013.
Georgia worked for the renovation of the Avoca Courthouse. She tirelessly sought funding, advice from preservation architects and builders, and promoted the courthouse as a centerpiece for main street Avoca.
Georgia fought for Southwest Iowa. She was a member of the Iowa Board of Public Instruction and was part of the board that created area community colleges and tech schools. She worked tirelessly to have Iowa Western Community College located in Avoca and when that did not work out, was a strong supporter of the Council Bluffs location. Georgia was a community Director of Jennie Edmondson hospital outreach committee.
Georgia was a member of the founding board of Iowa West Racing and when the opportunity came to advocate for local causes in the Iowa West Foundation Board, she pushed for the needs of Avoca and surrounding eastern Pottawattamie county. She was a proponent of supporting rural community streetscapes, improving recreational facilities and roads in rural area and enabled financing for those improvements.
Georgia believed in Iowa and she believed in the American political system. She fought tirelessly for the Democratic Party locally, at the state level and as a national committee woman for the Democratic Party in Washington. She and her husband Earl lobbied for regional agricultural issues. She worked locally for candidates from Adlai Stevenson to John F Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. She even convinced avid Republican Lt. Col. Wm. Dea to escort her to Bill Clinton’s Inauguration. She enjoyed the political fight (which is a good thing as a Democrat in Iowa).
Georgia fought for education. She taught, tutored and facilitated scholarships her entire life. She was a member of the Iowa Board of Public Instruction when that board founded the system of area community colleges and established educational TV in Iowa. She was a founding member of the Iowa Educational Radio and Television Board and liaison between the board and Friends of IPBN. Her rural advocacy views were challenged in 1965 when Life Magazine and others printed a picture of Amish school children running into corn fields to avoid going to schools that taught more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Although she had many accomplishments, Georgia delighted in special times with her family. She taught every child and grandchild to drive in the hay fields and at the fairgrounds in Avoca, shared the local treasure of Botna Bend buffalo and elk and Oakland Dairy Queen, and the windmills on the family farm. Georgia enjoyed quilting. She shared the warmth of her creations with her entire family. She sewed clothes for her California son-in-law and grandkids who told people their shorts came from “Giorgio of Iowa.” She loved flowers and gardening, even while having severe lung problems and allergies. She gave all her children a love of flowers. She taught floral arranging throughout SW Iowa and was a member of Avoca Garden Club and worked to establish community garden areas. Georgia enjoyed bridge from couples bridge with Earl in her early married years to playing marathon in recent years.
Georgia was deeply loved by all her children and grandchildren. Her grandson Franklin took his first job at CAM so he could live in her basement and care for her and her yard and share stories with her for two years after she had extensive abdominal surgery.
Georgia was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 1989 and received awards from 3 different governors. Her induction to the Women’s Hall of Fame stated “Georgia has a philosophy of commitment—‘keep farming strong to keep the economy strong; work hard in politics to facilitate good education and health programs; and work on appropriate Boards to see that these goals are met’ . . .and Iowa is a better place because of it!” Georgia continued fighting for her beliefs in the 25 years since.
Georgia was preceded in death by her husband Earl and youngest daughter Virginia. She leaves behind her caring family: daughter Paula and her husband Ken Davis of Grandview, MO, son Patrick and his wife Lyda Denney of Vernon NY, daughter Sondra and husband Bill Dea of Avoca, daughter Lisa and her husband Greg Neat of La Canada CA: grandchildren Quincy and Lea Anne Dea of Treynor, Iowa; Patrick Dea and Scott Booher of Minneapolis, Franklin and Hope Dea of Boise, ID, Caitlin Davis of Grandview, and Rita, Abbey and Leo Neat of LaCanada, California; 2 great grandchildren Gallatin and Irelyn Dea; sister Hazel Poage of Omaha NE, brother and sister-in-law W. Patrick and Ellen Rogers of Littleton CO, and brother and sister-in-law James and Joanne Rogers of Milwaukie OR.
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