Rebecca Y Lueth

Rebecca Y. Lueth was born on May 25, 1977 in Juba, South Sudan, and died on May 25, 2018, at home in Des Moines. She went to school through 4th grade in Juba, but as a child from the age of seven she had to be a mother to her two brothers. She moved to Ethiopia in 1993 with her first husband. After he died she moved to Kenya with her 2 young daughters, Martha and Rachel. There she was a group leader in the community, especially working with young women, until the family came to the U.S. in 2004. She lived in New York for a short time, then Chicago, and then Iowa since 2010. She and John Kelei were married in Chicago in 2005. They had three sons, Mayan, Reech and Lueth. She worked at Mercy Hospital and Marriott Hotel. Rebecca was a sweet, good person, the type of person who if someone is in need she would stop whatever she was doing and help – friends, neighbors, she cared about everyone. She got along with anyone. She always understood people – even teenagers! She was a child at heart, funny and fun, always smiling. Rebecca is survived by her husband, John Kelei; her children, Martha Kur, Rachel Kur, Mayan Kelei, Reech Kelei and Lueth Kelei, all of Des Moines; her mother, Awal Deng, of South Sudan; and her brother, Atem Lueth, of Chicago. She was preceded in death by her father, Lueth Abuoi, and brother, Abuoi Lueth. Rebecca was a strong person: even though all her life she struggled, it never stopped her from having faith in God. She always believed in God. She was a believer. You are loved and will be missed!