Obituary of Inga Shebat

Inga Shebat, 82, of Ashburn, VA passed away on February 3, 2013 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She was born on March 1, 1930, in Gleucksburg, Germany. She was the daughter of Gustav Adolf and Helen Wess Franke who both died in 1943 when Inga was thirteen. She and her two sisters, Ruth and Hannelore, lived with their Aunt Tida for the rest of their childhood. When she was 19, she moved to England and lived there for 5 years. She moved back to Germany and was later introduced to her husband, Donald Shebat, who was stationed there as a Lieutenant in the US Army. Don was a close friend of her sister Hannelore's husband, Wayne Hogan, who was also stationed there in the US Army. Inga immigrated to the United States when she was 27 years old. After a year in Queens, New York, she moved to downtown Washington, DC in 1958. She married Don Shebat on October 10, 1959 in Fort Bragg, NC and immediately moved to Okinawa, Japan. It was there that her first two children were born, Julie and David. They moved back to the United States in 1962 and had their third child, Robert, in 1964. Inga was a supportive military wife who moved her family several times in the years ahead, living in Georgia, Washington, Indiana, Texas and Kansas. For much of this time, she raised her children independently while Don was oversees in Vietnam and other areas of the Far East as an Army Ranger, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). In 1969, the Shebat family settled in Reston, Virginia where they raised their family until Don was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany in 1973. They moved back to their home in Reston four years later. Inga became a widow in 1985 when her husband died suddenly from a heart attack in their home. She stayed in Reston for the next 26 years until she recently moved to the Ashby Ponds community in Ashburn, VA. Inga enjoyed many hobbies and activities. She was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, now in Herndon, VA. She loved to tour the world and went on many trips and outings with her friends from Welcome to Washington, a women's organization where she was very active for many years. She enjoyed reading, sewing, needlework and cooking. She was an avid bridge player and was involved in several long-standing bridge groups. When her three children started families of their own, her grandchildren became the love of her life. Inga is survived by her three children, Julie Shebat of Mars, PA, David (and wife Donna) Shebat of Oak Hill, VA, Rob (and wife Cathy) Shebat of Mars, PA and her sister Hannelore (husband Wayne) Hogan of Steilacoom, WA. She has seven grandchildren, Chris, Mike, Melissa, Josie, John, Ashley and Jack. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Donald and her sister Ruth Cole of Detroit, Michigan. A Memorial Service celebrating Inga's life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1133 Reston Ave., Herndon, VA. A light reception at the church will follow the service. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to Fisher House, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850 (FisherHouse.org/donate).