Codie Seeley, 16, of N. Ft. Myers died on Wednesday June 8, 2005.
A brother, Michael Duane Watson preceded him in death on January 18, 1999, and his father, Larry L. Seeley on January 24, 2005. Surviving are his mother, Kim Keller and J.D. Krom; a sister, Amber Dawn Seeley; maternal grandparents, James and Joan Keller; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday June 15, 2005 at 1 P.M. in the Chapel of the North Fort Myers Memorial Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends from 11 A.M. until time of services. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Codie's Memory to the family at Wachovia Bank.
Published in The News-Press, (Fort Myers, FL) - June 12, 2005
Codie Seeley: Mother loses 2nd son to traffic crash Another road-related death brings Lee toll to 75 this year
By Sarah Lundy
slundy@news-press.com
Kim Keller doesn't know if she can go through it again - burying one teenage son six years after she buried her first.
The North Fort Myers woman sat outside her home Wednesday night trying to understand how her remaining son, Codie Seeley, 16, could suffer a similar fate as her first child by dying in a traffic crash.
Seeley died Wednesday when he was thrown from a car in North Fort Myers. His older brother, Michael Watson, 14, died in 1999 when he was hit by a car in North Fort Myers.
"My two boys are both gone," she said as tears rolled down her face. "My life is ruined."
Seeley's death was one of two traffic-related deaths that occurred in Lee County on Wednesday, bring this year's death toll to 75 people.
Jean Marie Watkins, 49, of Port Charlotte died at about 11 a.m. when she was hit by a car while fixing a flat tire on Interstate 75 near Luckett Road. Charges are pending against the driver, Rafael Saldana Jr., 22, of Fort Myers, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
An hour later, Seeley died and his mother blames it on a missing stop sign.
At about noon, he was riding in a 1993 Ford driven by his friend, Shawn Koehn, 17, of North Fort Myers. They were heading south on Pacific Avenue just off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers.
A 1990 Nissan driven by Patrick Meaney, 42, of North Fort Myers was going east on San Bernadino Street where a stop sign was supposed to be at the intersection. However, the sign was lying on the ground.
Meaney continued through the intersection and slammed into the Ford, according to FHP. Koehn, who didn't have a valid driver's license, tried to avoid the Nissan by speeding up and turning to the left. The Ford rotated and overturned on its left side.
Seeley, who wasn't wearing a seat belt was thrown from the car.
It's unclear how long the stop sign had been down. One neighbor said it's been down since Hurricane Charley hit on Aug. 13. Others say they couldn't remember.
"It's a shame somebody had to die because the sign was gone," said Rita Leffers, 48, who lives on San Bernadino Street.
Keller and her family want to know how long the sign was down and why the county didn't do anything about it.
"I can't bring him back, so it doesn't matter what the facts are," Keller said.
Seeley was only 10 when his older brother, Michael, died. The teenager had volunteered to ride his bicycle to the corner store to pick up a box of spaghetti. On the way back, he was killed when Diane Retherford ran a red light at Old U.S. 41 and Bayshore Road.
"I can't believe this happening again," Keller said as friends and family gathered to comfort her. "(Codie) was all I had left."
A few months ago, Seeley returned from Tennessee after his father died in January. The teenager left North Fort Myers High last year when his father became ill and was given nine months to a year to live.
He spent most of the year in Tennessee but came home every few weeks, family members said.
Seeley liked to read auto magazines and work with his hands. He wanted to follow his father's steps and do woodwork, such as building log homes.
"He was the coolest kid you ever seen," said his stepfather, Javier David Krome, 44.
Published in The News-Press, (Fort Myers, FL) - June 9, 2005
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