Sibyl Gruhl Obituary (1956 - 2024)

Sibyl (Shaw) Gruhl was born in Searcy, Arkansas and moved to Lincoln when she was seven. She attended Lincoln public schools and graduated from Southeast High School. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Sibyl fulfilled her childhood dream of teaching grade school. She taught in Lincoln public schools for 39 years, the last 25 at Maxey Elementary, and retired in 2022. A dedicated and conscientious teacher, she spent a full day every weekend preparing for the next week, and she spent time every weeknight communicating with the parents of her students. Over the years she touched the lives of many students in Lincoln. Sibyl was caring and exceptionally generous to her family and friends. She doted on her first and second-generation nieces and nephews in Nebraska, Colorado, and California, often taking care of them, even for a week or more at a time. She was her daughter’s best friend. They would talk and text multiple times every day, about anything from manicures to “The Real Housewives” to recent thriller novels. On a moment’s notice, Sibyl would drop what she was doing to schedule a visit to Chicago to see her daughter. Sibyl would do anything for her husband. She encouraged him to build the house of his dreams, and she agreed to take a 12-day raft trip on the dangerous river running through the Grand Canyon, even though she didn’t know how to swim. She tolerated sand in her hair and inside her clothes without complaint. She was a wonderful travel companion, even when trips challenged her food preferences. On a trip to Vietnam, she usually didn’t know what she was eating but waited until her return to lament the culinary aspects of the adventure. In the Czech Republic, she wondered why every menu featured “meat on a stick” and which animal that came from. In Mexico she sampled fried grasshoppers (though the worm in the appetizer was a bit much). But, she believed, in the journey of life it’s not where you go but who you travel with that matters. In recent years, she often exclaimed, “I love my life!” She is survived by husband, John; daughter, Emma of Chicago, IL; stepson, Josh of Denver, CO; and daughter-in-law, Abbie Owens. Also by brothers, Doc Chaves and John Thew; sister, Christi Chaves; nieces, Ashley Chaves, Kelli Guetig (Christopher), and Lisa Brocard (Jessie); nephew, Quentin Shaw; and sister-in-law, Jean Shaw. To honor her and her love for her students, memorials can be made to the Food Bank of Lincoln Backpack Program. No service.