Faith Elaine Wiberg

Faith Elaine Yeager (Villarreal) Wiberg
April 7, 1935 - March 18, 2017
Faith Elaine Yeager (Villarreal) Wiberg of Rolling Prairie/New Carlisle, Indiana, died of natural causes on March 18, 2017. She was 81 years old.
Faith was born to Virgel Naomi and Charles Yeager on April 7, 1935, in Wayne County, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. Faith was born into a life of destitution and hardship and became a ward of the state by age 5. She grew up in the Indiana State Home for Girls. She excelled in her studies and won a scholarship, at age 16, to Indiana University where she majored in journalism. Faith had a brilliant mind and was a member of MENSA. She was beautiful and talented, and performed as a professional singer and model in her twenties.
While attending Indiana University, she met Raul Villarreal, of East Chicago. She married Raul at age 18 in June of 1953; Raul and Faith had 6 children; their marriage ended in divorce and in December 1972 she married Nels G. Wiberg. Her and Nels were still married in 2015 when Nels passed away at age 91.
Faith worked in a various office jobs throughout her life. She was as a secretary at Bethlehem Steel, a Trucking Dispatcher and a Medical Transcriptionist for Visiting Nurses Association until her retirement. Nels and Faith were also very active at the American Legion Post 297 in New Carlisle, Indiana, where Nels was the Commander and she ran the weekly Bingo for many years. Faith was also a long time member of the local TOPS group.
Faith and Nels were “snow birds” going back and forth to Anna Marie Island, Florida, for decades. In their later years they moved to Bradenton, Florida, to enjoy their sunset years. However, they discovered they missed their family and the change of seasons and returned to New Carlisle in 2007.
Faith loved to fish the piers of Lake Michigan and then Saugany Lake where she and Nels lived for many years. She cherished her dogs, Sam and Rex, and loved her Kitty Cats. She was an avid reader, enjoyed gardening, poetry, crocheting, crafting and singing with her children and her sisters.
Faith has joined her beloved husband, Nels; her adored grandson, Michael “Shayne” Snyder, Jr. and her sons-in-law, Greg Greenwood and Reb Britton. She was also preceded in death many years ago by her parents and two sisters. She is survived by her sisters, Winona Wukich (Dan) of Chesterton, Indiana and Jane Saylor of Kentucky and her six children, David Villarreal (Sue), Raul Villarreal Jr. (Lisa), Cynthia Greenwood [the late Greg Greenwood](Jake), Linda Villareal [the late Reb Britton](Jim), Lorraine Davis (Scott) and Victoria Parmley (Larry). She was blessed with 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
There will be a small Celebration of Life service for family and friends on Wednesday, March 22, 12 - 1 p.m. at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 201 S. Filbert St., New Carlisle.  A luncheon will follow directly afterward at Miller’s Home Café. A Memorial of Faith’s life will be held for her very large family on Saturday, June 17, 2017, in Rolling Prairie, Indiana.
“Youth fades, love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes