Jacqueline Anne Silfies Beidelman

Jacqueline Anne Silfies Beidelman was born at home on March 13, 1937 in Bethlehem, PA.  She moved to Indianapolis during a blizzard in 1963 and loved to tell the story about how the family arrived ahead of the moving truck, so they stayed with parishioners until the storm was over.  A homemaker first, she started a daycare business in the 1970s and was Mrs. Beidelman to scores of children in Indianapolis who fondly remember her Christmas parties, summer carnivals, trips to the library, and of course her homemade lunches including “trash” (macaroni and cheese with hotdogs.)  Her dry east coast sense of humor was her trademark and if she were here to tell it, there would be a joke in there somewhere about her passing on groundhog’s day.  Jackie was an accomplished seamstress who made her children’s and grandchildren’s clothing.  She was also occasionally commissioned to sew custom clothing and made all of her daughter’s prom dresses.  Remembered mostly for her caring nature, nobody ever left her house unfed – including birds, squirrels, raccoons, feral cats, and the occasional deer.  Her proudest accomplishment was the care she gave her husband, George Beidelman, from the time of his disabling heart attack in 1991 until his death in 2008 allowing him to remain at home.  After her retirement, she found the time to read, work all of the puzzles in the daily newspaper, and plan traditional holidays that her family will never forget.   She is greatly missed by her two sisters, Nancy Lou Wanamaker and Sandra Albright; sister-in-law, Patricia Silfies-Beahm; her children, Wendy Harrison, Keith Beidelman, and Craig (Karen) Beidelman;  grandchildren, Danni Harrison (Steve Steineck), Elena (Nate) Martens, Brian (Amanda) Harrison, Austin Beidelman, Robin Beidelman, and Wyatt Beidelman; great-grandchildren, Celine, Keishon, Cordell, Nico, Vanah, Ethan, Devin, and Ali.  A memorial service will be held at her church, Zion Evangelical UCC, 416 E North St, Indianapolis, IN on February 18^th at 2pm.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Heifer International in her memory.