Robert Donald Seeley, 85, a resident of West Pittston for over fifty years, died on Sunday, July 30, 2006, in the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
Born in Hazleton on May 22, 1921, Mr. Seeley was a son of Arthur and Elizabeth (Jones) Seeley. In 1938, he graduated from Kingston High School, where he was captain of the tennis team in his senior year. Mr. Seeley continued his education at Penn State University and was a cum laude graduate of Luzerne County Community College in 1970.
At the age of 16, following in the footsteps of his father who was an engineer for UGI Corporation, Mr. Seeley began an employment relationship with UGI that was to endure for 49 years. Throughout that tenure, he held a number of positions in a variety of locations, but most notable were those in electrical engineering, customer relations and accounting. When he retired in 1986, he was the head of the accounting operation at UGI’s Luzerne Electric Division.
Mr. Seeley served his country for four years during World War II as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, in which he regularly landed behind enemy lines in a glider. He participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy as well as the occupation of Berlin.
Mr. Seeley was active in several organizations within his community. For over fifty years, he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittston, where he served as an elder, a member of the session, and a member of the board of trustees. He was a member of the Lackawanna Presbytery’s Committee of Ministry and served as the committee’s chair for one year.
He was a member of Valley Lodge No. 499, Free and Accepted Masons, and acted as the lodge’s bookkeeper for many years. He took great pride in his years of participation in the many good works of the Irem Stewards, a group he led for one year. For several years, he served on the board of directors of the West Pittston Little League.
For many years, he was a coach of West Pittston Little League teams, including the 1968 and 1969 Pagnotti championship teams. He was the Cub Master of Cub Scout Pack 352 in West Pittston. When the Wyoming Area School Board decided to demolish the former West Pittston High School, he led the Save Our School campaign that convinced the school board to renovate the building rather than destroy it. Subsequently, the school board drafted him to serve on their long-range planning committee.
From his childhood to his death, Mr. Seeley exhibited great interest in athletics. In addition to his own direct participation as a player and coach, he was a loyal fan of others. With tremendous intensity and pride, he followed the fortunes of Wyoming Seminary’s girls soccer and diving, and boys basketball and baseball, teams. His patience was often tested as a fan of Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles and Sixers.
He had great respect for, and enjoyed the successes of, Joe Paterno and Penn State football. In addition, he always enjoyed playing cards, whether it was pinochle at family gatherings, Tuesday Bridge with his pals at the Irem Temple Country Club, or pitch with his colleagues at UGI.
Mr. Seeley was a man of uncompromising honesty, integrity, and sincerity. His cheerful, positive manner gave comfort to those around him. He remained focused on all the good things from life that he had been fortunate enough to experience. He spent his life trying to make the world a better place. He succeeded.
Mr. Seeley was preceded in death, in addition to his parents, by brothers-in-law C. Russell Robertson, Myrddyn Hastie, and Alexander Hastie; and sisters-in-law S. Elizabeth (Hastie) Robertson and Elizabeth Jane (Groves) Hastie.
Surviving are his wife of 53 years, A. Ruth (Hastie) Seeley; son and daughter-in-law Drs. Robert and Janis Wilson Seeley, Shavertown; grandchildren Jillian and R. Dylan Seeley, Shavertown; and Karena Richards, New York City; brothers-in-law William Hastie, West Pittston; and Cmdr. (Ret.) R. Keith Hastie, Annandale, VA; sisters-in-law Phyllis (McVicker) Hastie, Wyoming; and Jean (Hastin) Hastie, Levittown; 14 nieces and nephews.
Mr. Seeley’s family wishes to thank Dr. Bruce Saidman, Dr. David Greenwald, the nurses and staff at Medical Oncology Associates and the nurses and staff of 4 East in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital not only for the quality care they provided, but also for their kindness and compassion.
Mr. Seeley’s funeral will be held Thursday, August 10, at 11 a.m. from the Howell-Lussi Funeral Home, 509 Wyoming Ave., West Pittston, with the Rev. William Lukesh officiating. Interment will be at the Memorial Shrine Cemetery in Carverton. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations to Medical Oncology Associates Patient Prescription Assistance Fund, 382 Pierce Street, Kingston, PA 18704.
Published in the Times Leader on 8/7/2006.
[Great-great-grandson of SGS # 1924 - Robert Donald; Arthur Lloyd; Lloyd Horatio; James Alexander; Lloyd (#1924); Ebenezer (#606); Nathaniel; Nathaniel; Nathaniel; Nathaniel; Nathaniel; Robert]
| 
