Anne-Marie Seidler

Anne-Marie Seidler

February 13, 1930 – July 26, 2022

Survived by children: William Seidler, Jr., Rosemary Nicoll (Robert), Susan Seidler Feidelberg (Geoffrey), MaryAnn Seidler, and Jennifer Seidler Gilheany (Thomas); grandchildren, John Alexander Seidler Feidelberg and Edward Seidler Feidelberg.  Preceded in death by husband, William E. Seidler, Sr.; mother, Ann Hansman Matt; and father, Oscar Matt.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Friday, August 12th at 10am at Christ the King Catholic Church, 654 S. 86th St.  Interment, St. Joseph Cemetery in Council Bluffs.  To view a live broadcast of the Mass, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Live Cast” button at the top of the home page.

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Anne-Marie Matt Seidler was born in Norfolk, Nebraska in 1930. She moved to Arizona and spent her teenage years in Phoenix, graduating from North Phoenix High School. She went on to attend and graduate from St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana in 1952. While there she met her future husband of 70 years, William “Bill” Seidler; they married shortly after graduation. In 1954, they moved to Omaha, where her husband attended Creighton Law School and they began raising a family. She and Bill had five children. As their children progressed in their schooling, she became involved in many of their activities, including Cub Scouts, Campfire Girls, competitive swimming, Little League Baseball, and music lessons.  She was also instrumental in developing the Junior Great Books programs in District 66. Anne-Marie was passionate about the importance of reading great literature and developing critical thinking skills.

While raising her family, she was very involved in many community activities, including the Omaha Symphony, the Western Heritage Museum, the American Cancer Society, and the Adult Great Books program, just to name a few. She and her husband Bill were parishioners at Christ the King Church for over 48 years.

Anne-Marie approached things with an intense intellectual curiosity, and cooking was no exception – as evidenced by her library of over 200 cookbooks covering a vast spectrum of global cuisines and techniques. Further developing her love of cooking, she studied at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco, returning home to teach cooking classes and to establish a catering company. At the same time, she became a food writer for Omaha Magazine and the Kansas City Star. Regarded as a food expert, she was invited by Dinah Shore to contribute to a cookbook of the great cooks in the United States. Her cooking prowess was on full display when she hosted an Indian Dinner before the Omaha performance of the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta.

Although she was accomplished in many areas, her greatest love was music. She began piano lessons as a child and continued through college but set that aside while raising her children. At the age of 45, she returned to intensely studying piano and music theory. For many years she studied with a Juilliard trained pianist in Omaha, mastering challenging piano music by composers including Brahms, Chopin, Schumann, Schubert, and Bach. She took University level music courses at UNO and was highly regarded by the faculty for her musical knowledge and insight. Anne-Marie was a co-host of a music program on KVNO and was asked to write the liner notes for the Brownville Concert Series.  Upon reading her liner notes, one university professor commented, “These are the most learned liner notes I have ever read.”  Although Anne-Marie was never a professional pianist, she did it for the pure love of music, and the personal challenge. She was still practicing daily the year before her death at the age of 92.

She always warmly welcomed a variety of people into her home, from foreign exchange students to Corporate CEOs. Her love and appreciation of the beauty in the world helped her to create a beautiful home.  “Mom – thank you for always challenging us to be our best selves and helping us to see and appreciate the beauty of the world.”

 

1 Condolence

  • Linda Z Mackey Posted August 6, 2022 2:41 pm

    Sending deepest condolences, prayers and love to you and your siblings, Jen. I always knew your mom was an amazing cook, but I didn’t know what an accomplished musician she was! A remarkable woman indeed. Your parents were beautiful people, representing the best of that great generation.

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