Christopher Joseph Seelye
Born in Glenns Falls, New York May 30, 1951, passed away on September 17, 2012 while working to contain the Klone Fire in Entiat Valley near Wenatchee Washington.
Chris was raised in the Rio Dell as a child, attending Rio Dell Elementary School. He moved with family to Junction City to finish grade school. He attended Fortuna High School for a short time, then moved to Sacramento to graduate from High School and attend Feather River College. He worked for Pacific Lumber Company as an Engineer in the Power House. In 1978, he began his career as a timber faller, loving the outdoors. He was an avid hunter, spending many hunting seasons at Ruth Lake and eventually moving to Ruth Lake with his family. He worked for various logging companies, including Columbia Helicopters, which took him to many interesting locations across the Western United States. He settled in Darby, Montana to retire from logging.
Chris met his wife while camping at Ruth Lake through his buddy, Gary (Cecil) Page. Chris and Denise Page were married Sept. 23, 1972. They had two daughters, Stephanie and Kathleen. Chris was active in Scotia Volunteer Fire Department, Scotia Jay Cees, Twin Creeks Motorcycle Group, and Ruth Rodeo Club.
He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Cecil Page; his father, Bill Seelye, and his mother, Heidi Seelye. He is survived by his daughter Stephanie Saunderson (Kyle) and granddaughter, Aubree Saunderson, of Eureka; his daughter, Kathleen Brunson (Tony) of Cascade, Montana; sisters, Rosalie Martin (Clyde) of Hydesville, and Christine Seelye of Brownsville, Ca.; Gary Page, brother-in-law and Roberta Page, mother-in-law. He is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. No service will be held, he would prefer you do a kindness for someone in need and remember him as you knew him.
Published in Eureka Times-Standard on September 23, 2012
Christopher "Chris" J. Seelye, 61, of Darby, Mont., died Monday, Sept. 17, 2012.
He had worked for U.S. Timber Cutters, which was under contract with the U.S. Forest Service to work on the Klone Fire in the Entiat Valley. He had been a logger and timber faller with the company for many years.
Survivors include his daughters, Kathleen Seelye of Cascade, Mont., and Stephanie Saunderson of Eureka, Calif.
Services will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are by Jones & Jones-Betts Funeral Home, Wenatchee.
Published in The Wenatchee World, (WA) - Thursday, September 20, 2012
Darby timber faller dies on fire in Washington
A 61-year-old firefighter and timber faller from Darby died Monday after becoming ill while working on a wildfire near Entiat, Wash.
Chris Seelye was helping clear brush from a roadway when he told fire officials he wasn't feeling well, said fire information officer Elizabeth Shepherd.
He was initially treated by medical professionals on the scene before being taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he died later that night.
The cause of death was not available Wednesday.
"I can tell you that he was hiking into an area about five miles each day," Shepherd said. "He was doing what he loved."
The fire's incident command team posted a message that said firefighters shared a moment of silence to remember their fallen comrade Wednesday morning.
Nationwide, Seelye is the 14th wildland firefighter to die in the line of duty so far in 2012. There have been a total of 54 accidents resulting in injuries this year.
Seelye was working on the Klone fire, which is part of a complex of fires near Wenatchee, Wash., that started Sept. 8 after a large lightning storm.
Shepherd said conditions in that portion of Washington state are extremely dry.
"We haven't had any significant rainfall in about 55 days," she said.
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 363-3300 or at pbackus@ravallirepublic.com.
Published in the Missoulian (Missoula, MT) - Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Authorities ID fallen firefighter, provide fire update
Our condolences go out to the family of Chris Seelye, the timber faller from Darby Montana, who was working in the Entiat area Monday September 17th when he became ill. He was treated by incident medical personnel and transported to a nearby hospital. He passed away Monday evening. Firefighters Tuesday morning took a moment of silence to remember their fallen comrade.
Published in the Lake Chelan Mirror (WA) - Wednesday, September 19, 2012
| 
