Memorial Services for Donna Ebeling will be held at 2pm, Monday, September 23rd at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home of Lawrence.
Donna Jo “Jody” Ebeling (née Sparks), aged 89, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away in her apartment at Arbor Court in Lawrence on September 9, 2024 in the presence of family. She had been well cared for in a brief illness by Arbor Court and Ascend Hospice services. Jody was born on March 17, 1935, in Shattuck, Oklahoma during the dustbowl and the great depression. Jody was a bit of a maverick and wasn’t interested in meeting the expectations of others and fiercely maintained her independence throughout her life. Jody’s grandparents had a significant role in raising her, they were a hugely stabilizing force in her life. She attended 18 schools in numerous states when living with her mother but May, Oklahoma and then Laverne, Oklahoma were always a grounding ‘homebase’.
Tornado Rider
She had the unique distinction of having lived through two devastating tornadoes, one in Woodward, Oklahoma in 1947 and later in Greensburg, Kansas in 2007.
Family
Jody married Donald Ebeling in January 1956. They had three sons and were later divorced. She never remarried. Jody was immensely proud of her sons and her 4 grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time with family as much as possible, which was difficult as family members ended up in far-flung places. She made the long trip to New Zealand 4 times to visit and support her family there.
She loved animals and often had several at a time, many of whom she rescued. She would often stretch the rules of her retirement community and feed stray cats and dogs, birds and squirrels. She reckoned she’d had 18 pets over her lifetime!
Jody is survived by her brother, J Ben Sparks, her sons, Terry (Kate Vercoe) Billy and Timmy Ebeling (Josanye Ebeling), 4 grandchildren, Cole, Landon, Cydney Ebeling and Cameron Vercoe Groenen, foster-son, John Lingenfelser, niece, Lindsay Gamboa; nephews, Kirk Sparks, Mike Sparks, Steve Sparks, and Scott Weeks. Jody was predeceased by her parents Oma (née Long ) Sparks and Gerald Sparks. As mentioned before, Jody lived in several different states as a child and attended many different primary schools. She graduated High School in Laverne, Oklahoma where she was Drum Major of the Marching Band. She attended the University of Oklahoma for one year, she didn’t find that a good fit, so trained as a hairdresser and then as a dance instructor at The Arthur Murray School of Dance where she met her husband, Don. They would move to Lawrence Kansas in 1963 and operated The Gaslight Tavern and Carriage Lamp Restaurant.
Aside from being a business owner, hairdresser and dance instructor, Jody would later work in Doctors’ offices as a bookkeeper and receptionist. She would later work for and eventually retire from ARCO pipeline gas company in Southwestern Kansas.
Jody was a devout member of Unity Spiritual Organization where she deepened her spirituality through affirmative prayer and education. She took her family on many summer retreats to Unity Village in Lee’s Summit, Missouri and was an occasional attendee at the Unity Church, both here in Lawrence and also at the main campus in Lee’s Summit.
Her diverse interests were reflected in her hobbies. Over her lifetime Jody pursued many different activities which included golf, bowling, trap shooting, painting, writing poetry, bridge, BINGO and singing. She made a recording “Never Too Late” in 2010 and had occasional live performances on stage with her 3 sons.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jody’s memory can be made to the Lawrence Humane Society, an organization that reflects her love for animals. Jody’s vibrant spirit and legacy of love, kindness and generosity will be dearly missed and forever remembered by all who knew her.
Online condolences may be sent at www.rumsey-yost.com.
Livestream will be at https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcyNjcxMzA0NjMyODg4NyZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==
