Viola “Bliff” Kappel passed on December 6, 2020. She was born April 2, 1917 to Isadore “Jake” Obergfell and Jean (Hately) Obergfell at Newlon, MT. She once explained her young life as, “We were a family of twelve and lived by the Yellowstone River with no indoor plumbing or electricity. We went to the one room Gossett School with all eight grades and one teacher.”
She married Albert S. Kappel on December 1934, had three children, Albert D., Frank I., and Janice K. She divorced November 1945. She took a correspondence course to be a secretary and mastered shorthand and typing by playing large records on an old phonograph that had to be wound up. She got a government job with the Bureau of Reclamation in Glendive and was transferred about every two years in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. She retired August 1980 and returned to Sidney.
She could play the piano by ear and was famous for her Raspberry Chiffon Pie. She loved to garden and filled her yard with lots of flowers. She spent several years at The Lodge and SHC Extended Care and she enjoyed both.
In the last few years we celebrated her birthday at Extended Care but due to the lockdown 2020 that was not permitted for her 103rd one. However, she was featured on a Facebook video. When they asked her, “How old are you?”, she answered, “Too damned old!”. Nurse and Niece, Kelly “Pug” Markle made her a cake and celebrated it with her. Pug had also planted flowers, including sunflowers which she liked, in front of her window. Many feel she would have made it to 104 if it had not been for the lockdown but after ten months of that she said she, “wanted to go”. So let’s give her a big sendoff!
She is survived by two children, Frank, Limon, Co. and Janice, New York City, five grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren and eight great, great, grandchildren; her sister, Rosemary “Jen” Larson, and baby brother, Jake Obergfell and several nieces and nephews. etc., etc., etc.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her son, Albert “Sonny” and his wife Theresa, seven siblings, May, Buddy, Dot, Bun, Pete, Tim and Sant, and two nephews, Randy and Gary Larson.