Metta Lieb

Metta Ann (Janzen) Lieb, 90, of Newton, Kansas, died Sunday, March 26, 2023 at Kansas Christian Home, Newton, with loving family members at her side.

She was born in Upland, California on October, 16, 1932 and raised in nearby Ontario, the daughter of the late Peter and Mary (Dirks) Janzen, who had immigrated from Ukraine in the 1920s. She married Kenneth Lieb in 1962 in Carson City, Nevada, who preceded her in death in 1974. Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her sister and brothers Margaret, Heinz, and Herbert Janzen.

Metta is survived by her son, Peter Lieb of Newton, three step-children in Oklahoma, Penny Williams, Patty Sibley, and Bill Lieb, 10 step-grandchildren, and loving sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces.

When Metta was a child, German was spoken in their home and she learned English in kindergarten. After graduating from Chaffee High School in Ontario, California in 1950, she moved with her family to Ritzville, Washington. She attended Freeman Junior College and Bethel College. After leaving college, she was employed as a deputy county treasurer for Adams County, Washington. She then spent a year in Mennonite Central Committee voluntary service, first in Akron, Pennsylvania and then in Denver, Colorado. She worked in medical records at Colorado General Hospital for about a year, then returned to Upland, California and found a position with Sunkist Growers in the general accounting office. After she and Ken were married, they moved to Graeagle, California in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where they owned and operated a cattle ranch. After she was widowed, she moved to Newton, Kansas in 1983, where she joined the Bethel College Mennonite Church and sang in the choir, and volunteered for many years at the Newton Public Library. Metta loved animals, reading, music, and regular walks along Sand Creek, and took private pilot lessons. Her love of English novels led her to tour England several times.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the following for providing assistance and support to Metta: Bethel College Mennonite Church, Harry Hynes Hospice, Sandra Rohe, and Amy Elliott.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. June 15 at Bethel College Mennonite Church, North Newton, Kansas. Memorial contributions can be made to the Caring Hands Humane Society, Newton, or the Newton Public Library.