Franz and Elisabeth Seebauer

Franz and Elisabeth Seebauer

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Franz and Elisabeth Seebauer. They shared a joyful, fun life and a loving marriage of 66 years. Franz passed on June 23rd and Elisabeth passed on June 25th, and we are sure they continue to be inseparable in heaven.

Franz was born in Pemfling, Germany on December 24th, 1935 to Josef and Rosina (nee. Breu) Seebauer. Elisabeth was born in Brestovac, Yugoslavia on April 1st, 1936 to Stefan and Rosalia (nee. Schoeffler) Zelenkowitsch.

While in Germany, Franz trained as an electrician and after immigrating to the U.S. continued his career at the Ford Motor Company in Walton Hills, Ohio, where he worked until he retired in 1998. His adventurous spirit kept him young throughout his whole life. He enjoyed skiing, golfing, bowling, growing vegetables in his garden, and overall just being the jokester of the family, calling himself "the silver fox". He is survived by his sister, Elisabeth Brunner of Regensburg, Germany.

A spitfire who stood near (or under) 5’ tall, Elisabeth, known as Liesl, lived in a small village in Yugoslavia before being displaced during the war and fleeing to Germany. While in Germany, she became an excellent seamstress and developed her love of baking. She enjoyed spending time with her family, gardening and was passionate about art, music and dance. She was known for her strong personality and for her pride of who she was and where she was from. Liesl, though small in stature, wasn't afraid to tell you exactly what was on her mind, and kept her family on their toes while loving them fiercely.

Liesl met Franz in Regensburg, Germany, where they enjoyed dancing, hiking, and skiing with friends in the Alps. They were married on April 27th, 1957 at St. Georgs Church in Schwabelweis, Germany before immigrating to the U.S. via the Hamburg-Atlantik ship liner on June 1st, 1962. They settled in Bedford, OH, where they were active members of their community. They later moved to Munson, OH in 1996 where they lived during their retirement. They kept themselves busy by spending time with their family, participating in German heritage clubs, and being active members of St. Anselm parish. Franz and Elisabeth were passionate about supporting their family, especially their children Peter (Cindy) and Ruth (Anthony Cannata) along with their grandchildren Alexander and Rachel. They enjoyed a good manhattan and could often be found outside in their garden together, lovingly bickering about how much Opa loved tomatoes and how Oma didn’t. Overall, they will be remembered by the way they were always there to support their family and friends, and how quick they were to give a smile and joke to anyone they met. Even at 87 years old, they still were dancing the waltz together every chance they got. They were proud of their German heritage, but even more so of the loving family that they built together.

A mass and celebration of their lives and their love will be held on July 15th at 10:00 AM at St. Anselm Church (12969 Chillicothe Rd Chesterland OH 44026) followed by a burial service at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon OH. A luncheon will follow at Oak and Embers Tavern in Chesterland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in their memory to Hospice of the Western Reserve.