James Donald "Don" Seeley
James Donald "Don" SEELEY January 25, 1922 - April 14, 2005 A Memorial Celebration will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 23, at BONNEY-WATSON, Washington Memorial, 16445 International Blvd, SeaTac, WA 98188, (206) 242-1787 for Don who died at age 83. Please sign the online memorial at www.bonneywatson.com He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years Ruth; 2 children, Darrell Seeley of Bremerton; Joan Schumacher of Battle Ground, WA; 3 grandchildren, Stephen, Dana, Brian; and brother, Ken of Port Orchard, WA. After graduating HS, Don attended the UW before going into the Army Air Corp., serving in the South Pacific during WWII. After separation from the service in 1946, Don returned to the UW to complete his teaching degree. Upon his return to college, he met and later married Ruth in September of 1948. In 1976, after 26 years of teaching music and math in the South Central School Dist, Don retired to pursue his love of antique car restoration. His talents earned him many national level awards at car shows across the country. Don's many skills included the construction of four homes for his family and many remodeling projects. He will be fondly remembered by his family and many friends for his sense of humor, outgoing personality, and honesty. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to American Heart Association.
Published in Seattle Times on 4/20/2005.
James D. Seeley was driven by classic Chrysler
There are fans of the Chrysler Airflow, and then there was James Donald Seeley.
Mr. Seeley, of SeaTac, retired from teaching in 1976 to spend more time with his four Chrysler classics: rebuilding their engines, repainting them and even taking them to car shows.
Mr. Seeley died of a heart attack on April 14. He was 83.
"He holds the record in the Airflow Club [of America] for winning four best-in-show trophies, in four different years with four different cars," said club President Chuck Cochran, whose organization has 600 members worldwide.
"The significant part is he restored these cars himself. He didn't farm them out to specialists ... like most restorers do."
Car enthusiasts were always surprised to learn that Mr. Seeley was not a mechanic by trade, but a high-school math teacher for the South Central School District, now Tukwila School District.
Mr. Seeley was born on Jan. 25, 1922. He lived in Western Washington most of his life, spending his teen years in Tacoma. He enrolled at the University of Washington but left to serve in the Army Air Corps during World War II; he returned to campus in 1946 to earn his teaching certificate.
While in a music class, he met and fell in love with Ruth Knapp. The couple married a year later.
Mrs. Seeley quickly discovered her husband's many talents. He built the four houses the couple lived in through their 57 years of marriage.
His profession was teaching music, and later, math. But his hobby was restoring antique cars, especially the Chrysler Airflow.
The car was a commercial failure when Chrysler introduced it in 1934, but historians now acknowledge that it was ahead of its time. The Airflow, made until 1937, was believed to be the first car designed using wind-tunnel testing, and its unique aerodynamic body framing made it more durable and lighter than other automobiles at the time.
Mr. Seeley purchased all four Airflow models, and on weekends tinkered with them in his garage — unless his wife insisted he go hiking or biking with her.
But his idea of family time was strolling around swap meets to find door handles, backup lights or bumpers. Because of those trips, "I think I know a little bit more about cars than most women," said his wife.
In 1976, Mr. Seeley was financially secure enough to retire from teaching after 26 years. The couple then moved into a large house with a four-car garage and workshop in SeaTac — a home Mr. Seeley had built for their retirement.
He took four Airflows that were considered junkers and restored each one, even rebuilding the engines. "He would disappear at 8 o'clock, come up for coffee and then went back down. It was just like another job," his wife said.
Each car took at least a year to restore. Each won best in show at national car shows organized by the Airflow Club of America during the mid-1980s and 1990s.
Mr. Seeley later sold three of the four Airflows and began restoring two Chrysler convertibles, mid-1940s models. During the last months of his life, he was fixing up a 1942 Marine jeep.
He never stood still. To Mr. Seeley, "that was the worst thing you could do," his wife said.
Besides his wife, Mr. Seeley is survived by a son, Darrell Seeley of Bremerton; a daughter, Joan Schumacher of Battle Ground, Clark County; three grandchildren; and a brother, Ken Seeley of Port Orchard.
A memorial service has been held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any local American Heart Association chapter.
Published in The Seattle Times, (WA) - April 25, 2005
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