Dorothy Seiberling was the daughter of J. Frederick and Henrietta Buckler Seiberling, and the granddaughter of Frank A. Seiberling, the founder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Dorothy Seiberling, who went from a childhood spent on the grounds of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron to an influential role as Life magazine's art editor, died Saturday night at age 97 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Word of her death was first reported in The New York Times.
Niece Mary Huhn said in an email to the Beacon Journal that Seiberling "was a pioneering journalist; she loved, studied and supported the arts; she was a gardener, a music lover, an artist of life. ... We will miss her terribly."
Born at Stan Hywet on March 7, 1922, Seiberling was a 1939 Old Trail School graduate known as "Aunt Babe" to family members. She graduated from New York's Vassar College, where her mother and sister also attended.
Seiberling was the granddaughter of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. founder F. A. Seiberling and the daughter of J. Frederick and Henrietta Buckler Seiberling — who was an instrumental figure in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
She was preceded in death by her brother, John F. Seiberling, a former U.S. congressman representing the Akron area who was instrumental in the creation of Cuyahoga Valley National Park; and her sister, Mary Seiberling Huhn, a social justice advocate. Seiberling is survived by seven nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Vassar in 1943, Ms. Seiberling moved to New York City to join Time-Life Magazines as a researcher. She worked her way up to senior arts editor at Life in 1965.
"Her career at Life was a stellar example of what a determined woman could do at a time when women were not treated equally," said Grace Seiberling, her cousin and art professor at the University of Rochester. "Life Magazine provided more opportunities, but kept shifting her from department to department, before she finally was able to work in the art department where she became its head."
At Life, she helmed special-year-end issues on the Bible (1964), Picasso (1968), and Christmas (1972).
When Life folded in 1972, Ms. Seiberling joined former colleague Clay Felker at his newly formed New York magazine as executive editor. In the mid-70s, she left New York magazine to be deputy editor of the New York Times Magazine.
Ms. Seiberling was married to renowned art historian Leo Steinberg from 1962 - 1969. Eight years later, she reconnected with an old friend, Sidney Stiber, and they soon married. Mr. Stiber, a film director, producer, restaurateur, and aviator, died in 2013.
Ms. Seiberling had no children, but was close to her nieces and nephews. They — and many of their friends — all knew her as Aunt Babe. Generous and social, she hosted many festive Thanksgivings for her brother's and sister's families in Manhattan, as well as beach vacations at her previous home in Westhampton Beach. She and Mr. Stiber arranged art-inspired trips to Italy and England for friends, colleagues and members of her extended family.
Her niece Mary Huhn recalled family beach vacations at Seiberling's home in Westhampton Beach on Long Island when she was growing up.
"She gave us some wonderful childhood memories," Huhn said.
Huhn said her aunt had a "great passion" for art, collecting pieces not just for the sake of doing so but because she loved it and wanted to "support artists she admired."
Huhn said her aunt was a "marvelous" dancer and skater as a child who also painted and played the piano. Seiberling also loved to garden, with a love of peonies and geraniums.
"She was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. She had many, many outstanding traits," said close friend and fellow Shelter Island resident Jerry Glassberg. "These wonderful traits are often present in individuals, but to have them all in one person is truly incredible," added Mr. Glassberg.
She moved from her longtime Shelter Island, New York, home in October, when her family moved her to an assisted living center in Wilmington, Delaware.
"Dorothy Seiberling, magazine editor and granddaughter of F.A. & Gertrude Seiberling, passed away over the weekend, after decades of championing 20th century avant-garde art," a Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Facebook post reads. "She was an influencer, not only in the art world, but in the Seiberling family, inspiring younger generations of her family to become writers and artists. Rest in peace, Dottie."
A celebration of life is planned in Brooklyn early next year. In lieu of flowers, donations to the B+ Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association are suggested.
Dorothy Seiberling, who went from a childhood spent on the grounds of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron to an influential role as Life magazine's art editor, died Saturday night at age 97 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Word of her death was first reported in The New York Times.
Niece Mary Huhn said in an email to the Beacon Journal that Seiberling "was a pioneering journalist; she loved, studied and supported the arts; she was a gardener, a music lover, an artist of life. ... We will miss her terribly."
Born at Stan Hywet on March 7, 1922, Seiberling was a 1939 Old Trail School graduate known as "Aunt Babe" to family members. She graduated from New York's Vassar College, where her mother and sister also attended.
Seiberling was the granddaughter of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. founder F. A. Seiberling and the daughter of J. Frederick and Henrietta Buckler Seiberling — who was an instrumental figure in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
She was preceded in death by her brother, John F. Seiberling, a former U.S. congressman representing the Akron area who was instrumental in the creation of Cuyahoga Valley National Park; and her sister, Mary Seiberling Huhn, a social justice advocate. Seiberling is survived by seven nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Vassar in 1943, Ms. Seiberling moved to New York City to join Time-Life Magazines as a researcher. She worked her way up to senior arts editor at Life in 1965.
"Her career at Life was a stellar example of what a determined woman could do at a time when women were not treated equally," said Grace Seiberling, her cousin and art professor at the University of Rochester. "Life Magazine provided more opportunities, but kept shifting her from department to department, before she finally was able to work in the art department where she became its head."
At Life, she helmed special-year-end issues on the Bible (1964), Picasso (1968), and Christmas (1972).
When Life folded in 1972, Ms. Seiberling joined former colleague Clay Felker at his newly formed New York magazine as executive editor. In the mid-70s, she left New York magazine to be deputy editor of the New York Times Magazine.
Ms. Seiberling was married to renowned art historian Leo Steinberg from 1962 - 1969. Eight years later, she reconnected with an old friend, Sidney Stiber, and they soon married. Mr. Stiber, a film director, producer, restaurateur, and aviator, died in 2013.
Ms. Seiberling had no children, but was close to her nieces and nephews. They — and many of their friends — all knew her as Aunt Babe. Generous and social, she hosted many festive Thanksgivings for her brother's and sister's families in Manhattan, as well as beach vacations at her previous home in Westhampton Beach. She and Mr. Stiber arranged art-inspired trips to Italy and England for friends, colleagues and members of her extended family.
Her niece Mary Huhn recalled family beach vacations at Seiberling's home in Westhampton Beach on Long Island when she was growing up.
"She gave us some wonderful childhood memories," Huhn said.
Huhn said her aunt had a "great passion" for art, collecting pieces not just for the sake of doing so but because she loved it and wanted to "support artists she admired."
Huhn said her aunt was a "marvelous" dancer and skater as a child who also painted and played the piano. Seiberling also loved to garden, with a love of peonies and geraniums.
"She was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. She had many, many outstanding traits," said close friend and fellow Shelter Island resident Jerry Glassberg. "These wonderful traits are often present in individuals, but to have them all in one person is truly incredible," added Mr. Glassberg.
She moved from her longtime Shelter Island, New York, home in October, when her family moved her to an assisted living center in Wilmington, Delaware.
"Dorothy Seiberling, magazine editor and granddaughter of F.A. & Gertrude Seiberling, passed away over the weekend, after decades of championing 20th century avant-garde art," a Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Facebook post reads. "She was an influencer, not only in the art world, but in the Seiberling family, inspiring younger generations of her family to become writers and artists. Rest in peace, Dottie."
A celebration of life is planned in Brooklyn early next year. In lieu of flowers, donations to the B+ Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association are suggested.
Dorothy Seiberling was the daughter of J. Frederick and Henrietta Buckler Seiberling, and the granddaughter of Frank A. Seiberling, the founder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Dorothy Seiberling, who went from a childhood spent on the grounds of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron to an influential role as Life magazine's art editor, died Saturday night at age 97 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Word of her death was first reported in The New York Times.
Niece Mary Huhn said in an email to the Beacon Journal that Seiberling "was a pioneering journalist; she loved, studied and supported the arts; she was a gardener, a music lover, an artist of life. ... We will miss her terribly."
Born at Stan Hywet on March 7, 1922, Seiberling was a 1939 Old Trail School graduate known as "Aunt Babe" to family members. She graduated from New York's Vassar College, where her mother and sister also attended.
Seiberling was the granddaughter of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. founder F. A. Seiberling and the daughter of J. Frederick and Henrietta Buckler Seiberling — who was an instrumental figure in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
She was preceded in death by her brother, John F. Seiberling, a former U.S. congressman representing the Akron area who was instrumental in the creation of Cuyahoga Valley National Park; and her sister, Mary Seiberling Huhn, a social justice advocate. Seiberling is survived by seven nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Vassar in 1943, Ms. Seiberling moved to New York City to join Time-Life Magazines as a researcher. She worked her way up to senior arts editor at Life in 1965.
"Her career at Life was a stellar example of what a determined woman could do at a time when women were not treated equally," said Grace Seiberling, her cousin and art professor at the University of Rochester. "Life Magazine provided more opportunities, but kept shifting her from department to department, before she finally was able to work in the art department where she became its head."
At Life, she helmed special-year-end issues on the Bible (1964), Picasso (1968), and Christmas (1972).
When Life folded in 1972, Ms. Seiberling joined former colleague Clay Felker at his newly formed New York magazine as executive editor. In the mid-70s, she left New York magazine to be deputy editor of the New York Times Magazine.
Ms. Seiberling was married to renowned art historian Leo Steinberg from 1962 - 1969. Eight years later, she reconnected with an old friend, Sidney Stiber, and they soon married. Mr. Stiber, a film director, producer, restaurateur, and aviator, died in 2013.
Ms. Seiberling had no children, but was close to her nieces and nephews. They — and many of their friends — all knew her as Aunt Babe. Generous and social, she hosted many festive Thanksgivings for her brother's and sister's families in Manhattan, as well as beach vacations at her previous home in Westhampton Beach. She and Mr. Stiber arranged art-inspired trips to Italy and England for friends, colleagues and members of her extended family.
Her niece Mary Huhn recalled family beach vacations at Seiberling's home in Westhampton Beach on Long Island when she was growing up.
"She gave us some wonderful childhood memories," Huhn said.
Huhn said her aunt had a "great passion" for art, collecting pieces not just for the sake of doing so but because she loved it and wanted to "support artists she admired."
Huhn said her aunt was a "marvelous" dancer and skater as a child who also painted and played the piano. Seiberling also loved to garden, with a love of peonies and geraniums.
"She was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. She had many, many outstanding traits," said close friend and fellow Shelter Island resident Jerry Glassberg. "These wonderful traits are often present in individuals, but to have them all in one person is truly incredible," added Mr. Glassberg.
She moved from her longtime Shelter Island, New York, home in October, when her family moved her to an assisted living center in Wilmington, Delaware.
"Dorothy Seiberling, magazine editor and granddaughter of F.A. & Gertrude Seiberling, passed away over the weekend, after decades of championing 20th century avant-garde art," a Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Facebook post reads. "She was an influencer, not only in the art world, but in the Seiberling family, inspiring younger generations of her family to become writers and artists. Rest in peace, Dottie."
A celebration of life is planned in Brooklyn early next year. In lieu of flowers, donations to the B+ Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association are suggested.
Dorothy Seiberling, who went from a childhood spent on the grounds of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron to an influential role as Life magazine's art editor, died Saturday night at age 97 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Word of her death was first reported in The New York Times.
Niece Mary Huhn said in an email to the Beacon Journal that Seiberling "was a pioneering journalist; she loved, studied and supported the arts; she was a gardener, a music lover, an artist of life. ... We will miss her terribly."
Born at Stan Hywet on March 7, 1922, Seiberling was a 1939 Old Trail School graduate known as "Aunt Babe" to family members. She graduated from New York's Vassar College, where her mother and sister also attended.
Seiberling was the granddaughter of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. founder F. A. Seiberling and the daughter of J. Frederick and Henrietta Buckler Seiberling — who was an instrumental figure in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
She was preceded in death by her brother, John F. Seiberling, a former U.S. congressman representing the Akron area who was instrumental in the creation of Cuyahoga Valley National Park; and her sister, Mary Seiberling Huhn, a social justice advocate. Seiberling is survived by seven nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Vassar in 1943, Ms. Seiberling moved to New York City to join Time-Life Magazines as a researcher. She worked her way up to senior arts editor at Life in 1965.
"Her career at Life was a stellar example of what a determined woman could do at a time when women were not treated equally," said Grace Seiberling, her cousin and art professor at the University of Rochester. "Life Magazine provided more opportunities, but kept shifting her from department to department, before she finally was able to work in the art department where she became its head."
At Life, she helmed special-year-end issues on the Bible (1964), Picasso (1968), and Christmas (1972).
When Life folded in 1972, Ms. Seiberling joined former colleague Clay Felker at his newly formed New York magazine as executive editor. In the mid-70s, she left New York magazine to be deputy editor of the New York Times Magazine.
Ms. Seiberling was married to renowned art historian Leo Steinberg from 1962 - 1969. Eight years later, she reconnected with an old friend, Sidney Stiber, and they soon married. Mr. Stiber, a film director, producer, restaurateur, and aviator, died in 2013.
Ms. Seiberling had no children, but was close to her nieces and nephews. They — and many of their friends — all knew her as Aunt Babe. Generous and social, she hosted many festive Thanksgivings for her brother's and sister's families in Manhattan, as well as beach vacations at her previous home in Westhampton Beach. She and Mr. Stiber arranged art-inspired trips to Italy and England for friends, colleagues and members of her extended family.
Her niece Mary Huhn recalled family beach vacations at Seiberling's home in Westhampton Beach on Long Island when she was growing up.
"She gave us some wonderful childhood memories," Huhn said.
Huhn said her aunt had a "great passion" for art, collecting pieces not just for the sake of doing so but because she loved it and wanted to "support artists she admired."
Huhn said her aunt was a "marvelous" dancer and skater as a child who also painted and played the piano. Seiberling also loved to garden, with a love of peonies and geraniums.
"She was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. She had many, many outstanding traits," said close friend and fellow Shelter Island resident Jerry Glassberg. "These wonderful traits are often present in individuals, but to have them all in one person is truly incredible," added Mr. Glassberg.
She moved from her longtime Shelter Island, New York, home in October, when her family moved her to an assisted living center in Wilmington, Delaware.
"Dorothy Seiberling, magazine editor and granddaughter of F.A. & Gertrude Seiberling, passed away over the weekend, after decades of championing 20th century avant-garde art," a Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Facebook post reads. "She was an influencer, not only in the art world, but in the Seiberling family, inspiring younger generations of her family to become writers and artists. Rest in peace, Dottie."
A celebration of life is planned in Brooklyn early next year. In lieu of flowers, donations to the B+ Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association are suggested.
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