John William Seger, Sr. |
| Posted 2023-04-13 by Pat R |
| Wickenburg Sun (Wickenburg, Arizona) Wednesday, October 12, 2022, p. A-5 Born Nov. 24, 1922, in Donora, Penn., deceased Sept. 30, 2022, in Wickenburg, Ariz. John was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather who was loved by everyone who met him. During high school, he was a track star. He won a scholarship for drafting school but instead decided to join the military and fight for our country. He joined the US Navy at age 19 in the year just prior to the outbreak of World War II and served our country nobly through the end of the war as a gunner's mate on the USS Gilmer, a destroyer escort. He fought in a number of major battles, receiving several battle stars at the end of his service. He also earned quite a reputation as a boxer while in the Navy. After the war, he moved to Wisconsin, living primarily in the Oconomowoc area. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved muskie fishing in the Hayward, Wisc. area, where he owned a cabin on Lost Land Lake. He also had a talent for art, especially when it came to calligraphy and technical writing. He was a cowboy at heart and always dressed the part. He dreamed of living in Colorado and made that dream a reality when he and his wife, Eleanor (Ellie), moved to the Grand Junction area in 2002. He and Ellie enjoyed hiking daily with their dog and driving throughout the area to take in all that nature provided. He was a curious person and always learning new things so it was no surprise when in his 80s, he started attending karate lessons with his young grandson, Michael, and eventually earned a black belt. He also regularly helped his friend, Don West, a famous horseman and author, on his horse ranch helping to train horses and sorting cattle. John took up photography, often spending hours photographing the elk and deer on the Grand Mesa. He liked to share his photographs with the local park rangers, who often posted them in the parks' offices. In 2019, as John and Ellie aged, they decided to move closer to their son, David, who was living with his family near Phoenix. John enjoyed good health throughout his life, allowing him to age into his 100th year. He passed peacefully of old age on Sept. 30, just shy of his official "100th" birthday in November. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Herb and sister Rose, his son John W. Seger Jr., and his wife, Eleanor. He is survived by his children Mary (Dan) LeBeau, Cheri Janquart, Patti Seger (Mike Bacsi) and David (Pam) Seger, his grandchildren, his great grandchildren, a great, great grandchild and his sisters (Mayme and JoAnn), all of whom loved John so dearly. John's favorite actor was John Wayne, so it seems appropriate to close with one of his quotes, "Courage is being scared but saddling up anyway." Whatever adversity John faced in his life, he courageously saddled up every day and took on life to its fullest. Per John's request, no memorial services are planned. A private Family Celebration of Life will be held in Wickenburg, Ariz. on Nov. 5, 2022. Friends may offer online condolences at www.wickenburgfuneralhome.com Arrangements under the direction of Wickenburg Funeral Home & Crematory. |
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