Cecilia Sibson

Cecilia “Cissie” Kiolbassa Sibson, age 91, passed away on Monday, September 27, 2021. Cissie was born on January 12, 1930 in San Antonio, TX to Lillian and Joseph Kiolbassa. Cissie grew up in her childhood home on Chicago Blvd in San Antonio with Nana and Papa Joe and her three siblings, Valeria, Agnes, and Richard. Cissie and her family attended St. Michael’s Catholic Church and she took great pride in raising her own family in the Catholic church. Cissie was always very social and enjoyed her teenage years with her friends going to the movies at the Texas Theatre on Houston street, shopping at Frost Bros. and even working at Joske’s Department store.

Cissie married the love of her life, Glenn Richard Sibson on June 11, 1949 in San Antonio, TX. Babe, as they lovingly always called each other, shared a lifetime of memories in their home for 58 years on Gillis in San Antonio. Their home was full of memories for their three daughters, seven grandkids and nine great grandkids. Cissie always enjoyed the neighbors of Gillis over the years and they meant the world to her after Richard passed away in 2006. They always made her feel special by checking in on her, stopping by for a visit, taking care of her garbage cans and changing a light bulb or two. Gillis will always hold a special place in the hearts of Cissie’s family and we are forever grateful for this extended family that loved her so much.

Cissie’s greatest accomplishment was raising her three daughters with Richard. She always made the perfect breakfast, got everyone ready for school or work in the morning, made countless trips to the grocery store to prepare for the evening meal and dessert and always enjoyed making sure everyone was taken care of. Some of Cissie’s greatest moments were welcoming a house full of the girl’s friends after Friday night football games at Marshall High School. Over the years, these friends would check in on Cissie and loved to share memories of playing football in her front yard. Cissie always managed to bring immense happiness and joy and quite a few laughs to everyone who had the privilege of crossing her path. Her world revolved around her family and their lives, it was never about herself. Some of the best moments of Cissie’s life was spending time with her seven grandchildren. Each grandchild has summertime memories filled with spending time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house playing cards, completing puzzles and spying on their grandparents as they watched The Tonight Show from their recliners each night. We can still hear Grandma say, “go to bed, kids!” She loved every moment spent with her grandkids and would plan every day of their summertime visits with roller skating, trips to the movies, camping trips to Garner State Park and visits to SeaWorld and Fiesta Texas. Every summer, before they arrived, she would make sure the refrigerator and pantry were stocked with their favorite foods. Her chocolate cake, banana pudding, chicken fried steak and lasagna became staples over the years and her grandkids are filled with memories of sitting at the small kitchen table each night enjoying those meals with their Grandma and Grandpa.

When Richard retired, he wanted to buy a motorcycle and join a motorcycle club, The Retreads. Cissie was hesitant at first, but somehow, Richard managed to get Cissie to ride with him as he drove her all over the country with The Retreads, who gave Cissie and Richard a wonderful group of friends. Planning and packing for those long cross-country trips was just what Cissie loved to do and her family loved to hear her relive those memories over the years. Cissie also enjoyed taking some time for herself and that always included two things: Bowling and Bunco. She was an avid bowler every Wednesday for over 50 years. It was here that she met lifelong friends, whom she loved dearly. When she could no longer bowl, she would still meet every Wednesday with her bowling buddies for lunch. Cissie was also a part of a monthly Bunco club and she got so much joy from being with her bunco buddies, hosting her bunco month and excitement from playing the game. She loved to bake and was a collector of recipes. Cissie never let visitors to her home leave without being offered a baked good or something to eat. She always had a selection to choose from and if you didn’t accept, she would offer again and again! She never went to someone’s home empty handed and most likely came with a new dish of a new recipe that she had cut out from the newspaper or copied down while watching The Food Network. Cissie eventually took her baking talents to creating and decorating beautiful cakes for weddings, birthdays and really any occasion. Her cakes were beautiful and always delicious. Each grandkid got the same cake on their first birthday, a teddy bear in a wagon full of gumdrops and different candies. The tradition continued with her great grandkids, and it filled Cissie with great joy to share her love of baking with her family in such a special way.

As time marched on, she welcomed her great-grandchildren, nine to be exact. She absolutely adored her greats and she always found immense happiness rocking them as babies as they fell asleep in her arms. Cissie loved it when they would call her and visit and she filled each of them with memories of a Gigi’s love that will last a lifetime. Cissie always loved playing card games, completing jigsaw puzzles and gambling. Her slight fear of flying may have kept her from visiting the slots as often as she would have liked, but when her family got her an iPad years ago, we were all surprised how she embraced the technology and learned to play slots and solitaire on her new device. The iPad eventually became one way of staying connected to the family she loved so much. She became an avid texter and facebooker and loved being able to see immediate pictures of all her family through her iPad. She always questioned how she could see their pictures right away, but she finally quit asking and just enjoyed the results. Cissie, Mother, Babe, Grandma and Gigi will be missed by so many. She soaked up her family’s love and admiration throughout her beautiful and amazing life. Some of her final moments were spent telling her family how proud she was of each of them. Cissie’s family looks forward to continuing her legacy by trying out a new recipe, finishing a jigsaw puzzle, playing a card game, calling each other to just chat, cheering for the Spurs and just enjoying life.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Richard Sibson, siblings Agnes Mangold (Shorty) & Valeria & Mlynarczk (Richard) & Richard Kiolbassa. Cissie is survived by her daughters; Debbie Walton (Mark), Terri Rogers (Ricky) Glenda Sissell (Dennis). Grandchildren; Brian & Craig (Christy) Walton, Dawn Newton (Josh), Dennis Sissell Jr (Erin), Courtney, Cody (Ashley), Clay (Clare) Rogers; Great-grandchildren; Cameron & Cade Newton, Avery Walton, Evan & Weston Rogers, Dustyn & Case Walton, Blakeley & Brady Sissell. Sister-in-law, Charlene Kiolbassa, and numerous nieces, great nieces & nephews.

The family will receive friends from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (Mass to follow at 10am) on Friday, October 8, 2021 at ST. LUKE’S CATHOLIC CHURCH 4603

MANITOU DR. San Antonio TX.

Interment will take place in Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Guiding Light Hospice; 3218 Nacogdoches Rd; San Antonio TX 78217 or Komfort Haus New Braunfels; 301 Main Plaza #250; New Braunfels, TX 78130.