Richard Warren Seel

Richard Warren Seel, 84, a former Stevensville, Michigan resident Richard Warren Seel, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 25, 2010 in Georgetown, Texas. A service will be held at 10:00AM on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at Victory Baptist Church, 1775 FM 1431, Cedar Park, Texas. His grandson the Rev. Matthew Seel of Hopkinsville, KY will conduct his funeral service. Father will be laid to rest at the IOOF Cemetery, Georgetown, Texas. Our Father was born July 29, 1925, in Traverse City, Michigan, to Herbert Arthur Seel and Hilda Abraham Seel. Dad graduated from St. Joseph, Michigan High School in 1943. He married Elsie Faye Schutz Seel of Coloma, Michigan on June 14, 1945, in Topeka, Kansas, while he was in training as an Army Air Corp navigator. Dad became a Lieutenant and was based out of Saipan. While waiting for Dad to return from the South Pacific, Mom worked to achieve her RN at Mercy Hospital in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Later she graduated with a Bachelors Degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While living in Ann Arbor, Mom bore her first two sons Richard Warren Seel, Jr. and Kenneth Lynn Seel. Once Dad finished his civil engineering degree at the University of Michigan, the family returned to live in St. Joseph, Michigan. While there she delivered their third son Thomas Allen Seel. Later she moved with her family to Stevensville, Michigan where she had their fourth child and only daughter Karen (Seel) Ball. Dad and Mom were charter members of the Lakeshore Baptist Church in 1965. The Stevensville-based Church was a church plant by the First Baptist Church of St. Joseph, Michigan. Dad's family had joined First Baptist in 1930 when they relocated to St. Joseph from Niles, Michigan. At Lakeshore Baptist Church, Dad was very active in the choir, as a soloist, as a song leader, a Sunday School Teacher, a member of the Pastor Pulpit Committee, and as a deacon. Later in the 1980s, Mom and Dad attended Berrien Center Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Dad led a very full life. Following World War II, Dad enrolled at the University of Michigan and as a freshman was inducted into the Engineering School's Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the National Freshman Honor Society of Phi Eta Sigma. As a junior, Dad was selected as a member of the Michigan Gamma Chapter of Tau Beta Pi. In 1949, Dad graduated with Honors from the University. Dad enjoyed singing both as a soloist and singing baritone in his church choir, singing in the U of M Glee Club, playing 3rd base on his Church's softball team, bowling, and Dad was an avid golfer. While working at the Voice of Music in Benton Harbor, Dad was instrumental in starting its Credit Union and designed the V-M floats for a number of years for the Blossom Parade. Dad also became active with the Toastmasters. In April 1956, Bill Gast hired Dad to be the Personnel Manager at Gast Manufacturing Corporation in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Dad's community activities continued and in 1960 he headed the Twin Cities United Fund Drive. In 1960, Dad joined Kiwanis International and in 1961 Dad was named Benton Harbor's "Man of the Year." In 1963, Dad was appointed Director of Plant Operations at Gast. Throughout the 1960s, Dad worked with the Soap Box Derby. In 1969, Dad began his tenure as an Advisory Board of the Salvation Army from which retired off the Board in 1988 having served his last several years as the Chair. In 1970, God led Dad to join the Gideons. Dad's passion for the work of spreading the Word of God consumed him for the rest of his life. In 1985, Dad was promoted to Vice President, Manufacturing and Engineering and Dad retired from Gast in 1988. Mom and Dad moved to Crossville, Tennessee and lived there for several years. They relocated to Sarasota, Florida in 1994 and they moved to Cedar Park, Texas in 2006 to live near their daughter Karen. Our Father's great passions were his Christian faith, his family, being active in the Church and the Gideons, bowling, golfing, "Maize & Blue” football games every fall, and foreign travel. Dad was preceded in death by his wife Elsie (Sue) Faye in 2009, his parents Herbert and Hilda Seel, his sister Carmen Mary Seel Langdon, and niece, Linda Langdon. Dad is survived by his four children and their spouses Richard Jr. (Susan Garner Seel) of Martinez, California, Kenneth of Lafayette, California, Thomas (Diane Sanford Seel) of Berea, Kentucky, and Karen (Tom Ball) of Georgetown, Texas and his sister's children Robert (Skip) Langdon of Massachusetts, Sara Langdon Wise, Judy Langdon Hardin, Barbara Langdon, and Mary Langdon all from Missouri. Dad is also survived by ten grandchildren: Julie (Seel) and Matthew Wright of Antioch, California, Jodie (Seel) and David Monson of Linden, Utah, Lori (Seel) and Calvin Cottrell of American Fork, Utah and Richard Seel, III and Kendra of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kenneth Seel, Jr. of San Diego, California, Morgan Seel of Lafayette, California, Matthew Seel of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Joshua Seel of Floyds Knobs, Indiana, Lindsey (Ball) and Chris Ross of Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and Thomas Ball, Jr. and Jillian of Fort Campbell, Tennessee. Dad is also survived by his twenty-one great-grand children: Madisen, Zachery, Loren, Mallory, and Jackson Wright; Sarah, Joshua, Jacob, Rachel and Daniel Monson; Casey, Carson, Cayden, and Cole Cottrell; Natalie and Isaac Seel; Chrislynn and Addilynn Faye Ross; and Scarlett, Natalia and Noah Ball; nieces and nephews and their families, Beth Langdon, Skip Langdon, Sarah Rose Langdon-Wise, Judith Langdon-Hardin, Barbara Langdon-Harmon, Mary Langdon; along with many other loving family members and friends. Contributions may be made to the Georgetown Texas Chapter of Gideons International. Personal words of comfort can be sent to the family online at www.gabrielsfuneral.com