Muriel Oldberg

Muriel Swanson Oldberg passed away on March 14 at home in Kansas City.  She was 94.

She was known by family and friends alike for many qualities ranging from her artistic talent as a water colorist to her kind, caring, compassionate and inclusive nature.  She was gifted with a warm and engaging sense of humor, a face that radiated continual good cheer, and an infectious laugh she shared with everyone.  She loved her family.  They loved her back.

Born in Kansas City, she grew up in the family home her parents built in 1925.  She raised her six children in the same family home.

Muriel was a graduate of Southwest High School.  She attended the Junior College of Kansas City, now known as Metropolitan Community College.  Her father, Arthur M. Swanson, was once president of the college.

She attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in art with a specialization in water color.  While at the university, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority.

Muriel worked for the Kansas City Missouri Public School system for 20 years.  She taught elementary education in a number of grades and system schools.  She loved the children she taught.  More importantly, she always celebrated the opportunity teaching provided her to motivate students to learn, achieve, build confidence and live rich lives.

Throughout her life, she had two vocations—water color painting and reading.  She was an avid reader with a particular interest in mystery.  She often said it was the sense of adventure these books provided that captured her attention and fueled her imagination.

Muriel was a caring wife and dedicated mother of six children.  Her husband, Philip P. Oldberg, Jr., passed away in 2010.

Her survivors include the six children—Carl (Judy) Oldberg of Cary, Illinois; Mark (Linda) Oldberg of Overland Park; Pamela Taylor of Prairie Village, Kansas; Karen (Doyle) Oldberg of Kansas City; Eric Oldberg of Kansas City, and David Oldberg of Shawnee Mission, Kansas.  Survivors also include nine grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.