Ida Jenkeleit Sedat

Ida Jenkeleit Sedat
of Owego
Ida Sedat died Friday, December 7, 2007, in Midland, Tex., at the age of 98. Born June 19, 1909, in what was then East Prussia, Germany, as the third of seven children, she immigrated to the United States at the age of 18 to Brooklyn, New York. There she met Emil Sedat, also a recent immigrant from East Prussia, and they married in October 1930. Three years later they moved to Owego, New York, with their infant son, Bernhard, to carry out their dream of owning their own dairy farm. Another son, Walter, was born in 1941, but died in 1967, in an automobile accident. After Emil's death in 1985, Ida remained on the farm until 1994. She then moved to Odessa in West Texas to live with her son, Bernhard and his wife, Jayne Sedate. Ida was the consummate homemaker, not only helping her husband maintain the dairy farm, but also as an enthusiastic cook, gardener, and hostess for guests from all walks of life. The home was always open for visitors, and especially so for clergy and religious workers who regarded the Owego home as their personal retreat. She loved to cook and her tables were usually laden with a wide variety of fare made entirely from scratch. She also loved to work in her garden and tended vegetables and fruit of all kinds. Beloved also was her prized flower garden which provided color for her table throughout the growing season. Highest on her priorities was her personal relationship with God, and she was a faithful witness to that calling. Only the most debilitating illness could keep her away from her church on Sunday, and she demonstrated that faithfulness in her daily life throughout the week. Surviving her are her son, Bernhard and daughter-in-law, Jayne, living in Odessa, Tex., as well as her sister, Lydia Gellrich, living in Glendale, N.Y. Ida also leaves seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Friends are invited to Richards Funeral Home on Tuesday evening, December 11, 2007, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. To share your memories of Mrs. Sedat, log on to www.RichardsFH.com. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, at Richards Funeral Home, Rte. 17c West in Owego, N.Y., with Rev. Loretta Perry, Pastor of Gospel Chapel, officiating. Interment will be at Tioga Cemetery in Owego. Memorials celebrating her life may be given to the Gospel Chapel, 203 North Ave., Owego, N.Y. 13827, or to the charity of choice. Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home in Odessa, Tex., and Richards Funeral Home in Owego, N.Y.