James Milton Seigler

James Milton Seigler, age 91, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, United States Air Force veteran and cherished friend, slipped the surly bonds of earth on December 22, 2023 to dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings and join his Holy Father in Heaven.

James was born to Homer and Myrtle Seigler on December 13, 1932 on a small farm near the town of Bennington in southeastern Oklahoma. When he was old enough to attend school, he joined his siblings in walking the 3-mile distance along an unpaved dirt road back and forth to school each day. For the first eleven years of his schooling, he had perfect attendance and only missed one day during his final year. Like all his family members, he contributed his share of the work on the family farm while also handling his school responsibilities, and in 1951, he proudly became a graduate of Bennington High School. He remained a proud Bennington Bear for the remainder of his life and was a loyal and frequent participant in the yearly Bennington homecoming festivities.

After his graduation from high school, James traveled to California where he worked in the canning industry for a short time before returning to Dumas, Texas to visit his sister. While in Dumas, he made the decision to answer his country’s call to service. He persuaded his brother-in-law to drive him to nearby Amarillo where he enlisted in the United States Air Force in January of 1952. It was a decision he would never regret. He was always thankful for the opportunities the Air Force had presented to him, and for the remainder of his days he would proudly recall and tell stories of his many years of service.

After his basic training in San Antonio, Airman Seigler would quickly rise in rank while serving with distinction at numerous duty stations across the United States. In May of 1956 he shipped out to Korea where, at the age of 24, he became the manager of the Base Exchange (BX) at the US Air Base at Osan. When his tour ended in Korea, Sgt. Seigler would again serve at a number of duty stations in the United States before finally ending up at Perrin AFB in Denison, Texas. While there, he developed an interest in the recruiting process and decided to apply for admission to the Air Force recruiter training program. He was accepted in July of 1963 and underwent a vigorous and challenging training program at Lackland AFB in San Antonio where he completed his training as a distinguished graduate. He was immediately assigned to Recruiting Detachment 404 located in Arlington, Texas as a Specialized Medical Recruiter where he successfully recruited medical personnel from the Dallas-Fort Worth area as well as other parts of the nation when possible. Sgt. Seigler received numerous citations and awards for his accomplishments in securing these much-needed medical recruits including three Air Force Commendation Medals and a nomination for National Airman of the Year-Senior NCO.

James seemed to have an unusual talent for always getting the recruit he really wanted, but this talent took on another more special meaning when he met a young and beautiful lady named Elizabeth (Libby) Duffell. Courtship and love would soon follow and in June of 1966 she became his wife, sealing a love that would continue for over 57 years. The young couple had barely been together for a little over a year, however, when duty again called. In November of 1967, with the Vietnam War raging, Tech. Sgt. Seigler was once again assigned to overseas duty. To take full advantage of his touted skills as a recruiter, the Air Force assigned him to Tan Son Nhut AFB in Saigon to work as a career advisor in hopes of retaining the Air Force’s most promising airmen. He was serving at this important station during the infamous Tet Offensive of 1968. The sound of gunfire directed at the base as well as frequent Viet-Cong mortar attacks originating from a location only a few yards from his quarters became a dangerous daily routine while he served at Tan Son Nhut.

When his tour of duty in Vietnam ended, he returned to Arlington where he continued his valuable service as a Specialized Medical Recruiter for over five additional years. He retired from the United States Air Force in 1973 as a Master Sergeant after serving his country faithfully at home and abroad for over 21 years.

After leaving the Air Force, James could not remain idle. He had already explored the idea of entering the civilian business world by joining several other former recruiters as sales agents with Allstate Insurance Company. With his sales and recruitment skills being sharply honed by his Air Force training, it was only natural for James to turn to sales as his future occupation. After completing a short, but intense period of training, James took on his new career with his usual tenacity and soon became one of the leading sales agents in the region. He won many awards while with Allstate, including national recognition as a top agent for the company. After a long and highly successful second career with Allstate, James retired again after serving his clients for over 20 years.

Even from his own playing days at Bennington High School, James had always had an interest in sports, especially baseball. In his early years, he had been a Yankee fan, following them through their glory years of the 1950s and 1960s, but once the Senators franchise moved to Arlington, he left the pinstripes behind and became a die-hard Texas Ranger fan. When he finally retired for good, he could spend more time doing what he truly loved to do… travel with his wife, spend time with his beloved family and friends, and support the Texas Rangers. He and Libby loyally attended as many games as they could and became Ranger season ticket holders for over 30 years. They made countless friends among the other fans, and with many people throughout all levels of the Ranger organization. Through up and down, thick and thin, good seasons and bad, they were always there. Only time and health issues finally slowed them down. It must surely be by the grace of God that James lived long enough to see the Texas Rangers win a World Series Championship.

James M. Seigler leaves behind to mourn his passing, but rejoice in his full and wonderful life, his beloved wife, Elizabeth (Libby) Seigler, a grandson, Jesse Seigler and wife, Christina, with three great-grandsons Jaiden, Jace, and Jordan Seigler all of Quinlan, Texas, a sister, Ruby Williams of Arlington, Texas, nieces, nephews, and other relatives, and countless multitudes of treasured friends. He was preceded in death by two sons, James A. Seigler and Mickey E. Seigler, and four siblings, Mildred Seigler Whitlock, O’Neal Seigler, Minnie Bell Seigler, and Charles Seigler.

May his soul rest in God’s eternal peace, and may his memory be a joyful blessing to all who will forever hold him in their hearts.

In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to one of the following in his honor:

Wounded Warrior Project- online donation at: supportwoundedwarriorproject.org

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital- online donation at: stjude.org

Billy Attaway Memorial Scholarship: Zelle donations to [email protected]

A visitation for James will be held Monday, January 8, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Moore Funeral Home, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012. A celebration of life will occur Monday, January 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012. A committal service will occur Monday, January 8, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Dallas Fort Worth National cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75211.