Rebecca "Becky" A. Sterling

Rebecca Ann Keithley Sterling, age 94, passed away at her home in Fishers, Indiana, on May 22, 2026. Becky was born on December 22, 1931, to John and Ida (Blaser) Keithley, in Maxwell, Nebraska, where her father was supervising bridge construction. The family later settled in Sabetha, Kansas, near the Swiss-German community of Berwick in which Ida Keithley had been raised. Becky graduated from Sabetha High School in 1949 and attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, for one year before completing her Bachelor's Degree in English at Washburn University in Topeka. She later earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from Butler University in Indianapolis. Becky was a lifelong, dedicated, exceptionally talented teacher. She taught middle school and high school for 13 years in Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, and Wisconsin before the family settled in Carmel, Indiana, in 1975. She spent the next 21 years teaching at Avon Middle School in Avon, Indiana. On December 28, 1952, Becky married her high school sweetheart, Wilbur W. Sterling, of Sabetha. Becky and Wilbur had been married for 54 years when he passed away in December 2006. The couple shared a passion for travel. Initially, they had intended to visit places about which Becky was teaching in her classroom. They started traveling internationally in 1967 and visited 46 countries together. After Wilbur’s death, Becky continued traveling, eventually visiting a total of 95 countries plus an additional 35 sites such as Easter Island and Gibraltar. Before mobility became an issue for her, she and Wilbur attended Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Becky was a powerhouse of energy and organization, always ready to make friends and generous in expressing her point of view. When not teaching, she filled her time with tennis, golf, bridge, and volunteering. Before Wilbur passed, she shared his passion for flying small aircraft, sailing, and ballroom dancing. Becky was active politically and served for several years as president of the Hamilton County (Indiana) Democratic Club. After Wilbur’s passing, she continued to organize a group of friends in her condominium community for lunches, birthday celebrations, and a weekly game of Mexican train dominoes. Surviving Becky are her son, David (Janet) of Noblesville, Indiana, and her daughter, April Sterling (Bill Murphy), of Fishers. Becky considered having successfully raised her children to be her proudest accomplishment. She had two grandchildren, John Sterling (Jessica) and Heather Sterling Hyde (Justin), and five great grandchildren. Also surviving her were five nephews (Erik and Kurt Olson and Jan, Ron, and Kim Sterling) and a niece (Sue Cassidy). She was preceded in death by her sister, Pat Keithley Olson, of Evansville, Indiana. A graveside service for her immediate family will be held at Farley Cemetery, Carmel, Indiana, on Saturday, May 30. Donations may be made in her honor to radio station WFYI in Indianapolis or to the Hamilton County Democratic Club. Final care and arrangements are entrusted to Shirley Brothers Fishers-Castleton Chapel.

Tributes

Rebecca "Becky" A. Sterling

December 22, 1931 - May 22, 2026