Alberta Kisling passed away at the Brookdale Middleton Stonefield memory facility in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 12, 2023. Her children Randy, Lisa, and Jeff were with her. Her son, Jon, was not able to arrive in time because of the sudden change in her condition.

She was born in Whittier, Iowa, on May 7, 1931, to Albert and Lorene Standing. Mom’s brother Wilden is no longer living. Her brother, Ellis, lives and farms in the Bear Creek, Iowa, community.

Her husband and life partner, Burton Kisling, died in 2018.

We were continually amazed at how many things they were involved with, including various roles in Quaker communities and organizations both locally and nationally. And the depth of their involvement together as true partners.

Their journey began with farming in Iowa and continued as Dad steadily moved up through the Farm Service organization, eventually being the manager for the entire state of Iowa. Most of those promotions meant moving from place to place. They always became actively involved in each new community. Building deep friendships in each of them. Dad would usually be involved in things like the Chamber of Commerce, and Mom would be involved in social activities, sometimes acting in plays.

We were so blessed when every summer they would take us camping in various national parks, though everyone’s favorite was Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Mom, her parents, and her children all attended Scattergood Friends School, a Quaker boarding high school. She served on the Scattergood School Committee for over twenty years.

They were both very involved in the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). As a result of lobbying for peace and justice legislation, they were on a first-name basis with Iowa’s US Congressional delegation.

She spent years as a very successful real estate agent, winning the Million-dollar award for home sales multiple times.

She was an exceptional hostess, and she and Dad delighted in organizing zany games and dressing up. At an FCNL Annual Meeting, Joe Volk said he heard a rumor that they were going on tour as Phyllis Diller and Fang.

Mom was a painter, a prolific writer, and a collector of stories about her family, and all the things she and Dad did throughout their lives. Sad though it is, we are comforted by memories of her and Dad as wonderful parents. As we sort through old photos and letters, we are delighted to discover many things we hadn’t known.

It is a priceless gift that Mom wrote much of her life story, which can be found here: The Story Now Begins   

Jeff Kisling

Memorial plans:

Bear Creek Quaker Meeting just north of Earlham, Iowa.
Memorial service Sunday, September 24^th at 11:00 am