Dale William Seely
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: October 15, 1937
Date of Death: July 7, 2015
Birth Place: Wauzeka, WI
Death Place: Black River Falls, WI
Dale W. Seely
Dale William Seely, Black River Falls, WI (1937-2015)
October 15, 1937 – July 7, 2015
Dale W. Seely, age 77, of Black River Falls, WI, passed away suddenly on July 7th, 2015, after a brief hospitalization and discovery of advanced stages of cancer. Dale was an avid outdoorsman his entire life, hunting and fishing all over Wisconsin at every opportunity. The only activity he loved more than being outdoors himself was being able to share the hunt with friends or family. Three weeks before his death, he was still living the life he loved, catching salmon on a windy Lake Michigan with some fishing buddies. Dale was born on Oct. 15, 1937, on a small dairy farm outside of Wauzeka, WI, and attended Porter School, the one-room grade school on the edge of their farm. As a child, Dale loved to draw – squirrels, ducks, horses – and he was the only one in his family with that talent. Later in life, that talent showed up again in woodworking and wood carving. He graduated from Wauzeka High School, and served his country in the National Guard for several years. He was a long-time employee at the GM Fisher Body plant in Janesville, WI, and made his home there for many years. After retirement from GM, he and Sharon were married in 1990, and moved to Arkansas, to begin their marriage and retirement years. Dale and Sharon returned to Wisconsin, in 2000, building a home in rural Black River Falls, where they could be close to Sharon’s parents.
Dale is survived by his wife, Sharon, a frequent reader in the front seat of his fishing boat. He is also survived by sisters: Ruth Seely, Ann Weldy and Mae Seely Sylvester; and close family friend, Susan Kimberly, all of St. Paul, MN. He was a beloved uncle to Ann’s children: Mark Weldy (Linda), Lisa Weldy (friend Tony), and Susan Weldy (friend Johnny); and great-uncle to Mark and Linda’s children: Matthew, Laura, and Megan Weldy. He has a number of cousins from both his Christianson and Seely families, including Chuck (Karen) Christianson of Wauzeka, WI. Dale is also survived by and will be missed by Sharon’s children: Mike (Dawn), Kim (Mike), Kathy, and their families; as well as his mother-in-law, Betty Jelinek. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Gunda; and his brother-in-law and long-time fishing/hunting partner, Rodney Weldy.
Services will be held for Dale at the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 100 N 4th Street, Black River Falls, WI, on Thursday, July 16. An informal remembrance time will begin at 10 am, with a service at 11, and a luncheon at the church immediately following. There will also be a memorial event scheduled later (tentatively afternoon of August 15) in Wauzeka, WI, before Dale’s ashes are interred in the Wauzeka Cemetery overlooking the Wisconsin River bottoms.
Dale will be greatly missed by his family and the many friends he had, but we’re blessed to have known and shared with him in our individual ways. Dale liked people and loved to be with family and friends. He leaves us with a lifetime of his enthusiastic fishing stories to remember him by. We know he’s gone to a better place, with a muskie laying behind every log in the lake!
Published in the Janesville Gazette, July 13, 2015
[Great-great-grandson of SGS # 3439 – Dale William; William James; James W.; Daniel F.; Cornelius (#3439); Daniel (# 1554); David; Charles; Samuel; Jonas; Obadiah]
