July 4, 1924-Oct. 21, 2002
Florence Seely passed into the presence of her Lord at noon Monday, Oct. 21, 2002.
She had been a resident at Olympic Care and Rehabilitation Center in Sequim for almost two years. Complications of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases brought her earthly sojourn to a peaceful end.
Florence was born to Delbert and Reda Herron in Eaton, Ind., on July 4, 1924. Her father was a Navy chief petty officer and the family moved often from one Navy town to another. In 1941, her dad was assigned to Pier 91, Seattle.
While a senior at Ballard High School, her classmate, Audrey Stenholm, invited her to Emmanuel Tabernacle, then to Lake Sammamish Bible Camp, where she accepted the Lord as her personal Savior. When her parents were upset by that decision, she lived with the Stenholms for one year, then in 1943, enrolled in Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada.
After graduation from Bible College in 1947, she prepared to go to China as a missionary, with The Evangelical Alliance Mission. She arrived in Shanghai in October 1948, accompanied by Doris Brougham. Just over a year later, they fled from the Chinese mainland, and Florence moved to Japan to continue her missionary service.
On June 30, 1951, she and Arthur Seely were married in Tokyo, Japan. God blessed them with six children, Carol, Robert, Richard, Aileen, Joy and Loren. All six are married with three living in Western Washington, and three in Japan. There are 14 grandchildren and one great-grandson.
The Seelys retired from Japan in the fall of 1988, and were invited to serve at Sequim Bible Church. That relationship continues to this day.
A memorial service will be held for Mrs. Seely at Sequim Bible Church on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002, at 2 p.m. Elder Tom Machamer will officiate, and Pastor Mike Jones of Independent Bible Church in Port Angeles will bring a message. Her remains will be placed in TEAM's Japan Cemetery later in November.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sequim Bible Church Missionary Fund, 847 N. Sequim Ave., Sequim, WA 98382, or to Olympic Care and Rehabilitation Center, Employee Recognition Fund, 1000 S. Fifth Ave., Sequim, WA 98382.
Published in the Peninsula Daily News on 10/25/2002
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