Helen B. Seely (born Burnett)
Personal
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: October 23, 1907
Date of Death: October 10, 2006
Birth Place: Salt Lake City, UT
Death Place: Meeker, CO
Helen B. Seely
October 23, 1907 – October 10, 2006
Longtime Meeker resident Helen B. Seely, 98, died Oct. 10, 2006 at the Walbridge Wing, less than two weeks shy of her 99th birthday.
Helen Burnett was born Oct. 23, 1907, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the only child born to Carrie Christine Rasmussen and William Alfred Burnett. Her ancestors came from Scotland, Germany and Denmark.
Helen attended Franklin Elementary, Jordan Junior High and West High School all in Salt Lake City. She was graduated from Henegar’s Business College in 1928. She worked as a filing clerk for the Deseret Mortuary and for the phone company until she was married to Carl H. Seely in 1931.
Helen was baptized about 1915 in the Latter Day Saint Tabernacle on Temple Square and received her Patriarchal blessing from Hyrum G. Smith on May 27, 1931.
Helen began taking piano lessons when she was about nine and became a very accomplished pianist. She played many of the classicals for her church, as well as other churches in the community. After she was married, she played for many weddings, funerals, style shows and other occasions. She also learned to play the pump organ and was the LDS 34th Ward organist for eleven years.
Helen met Carl H. Seely in 1926. He was a junior at the University of Utah. At one point in their relationship, Carl told Helen that he couldn’t afford to get married. She told him that they could no longer see each other if that were the case. They were married on July 8, 1931, in the Salt Lake City Temple. They spent their honeymoon at Fish Lake and their first summer in sheep camp above Leadville, Colo. Their first home was in Castle Dale, Utah. Helen was a city girl who didn’t know how to cook, can, bake or sew. Having married a sheep man, these first few years were very challenging, as she learned to do all of these things very well while often living in a small cabin or tent with very limited supplies and facilities.
Helen and Carl moved to Green River, Utah in 1933, where they lived for about 10 years. In 1942, they moved to the Meeker area, making their first home there on Scenery Gulch, just west of Meeker, later moving into town where they spent the rest of their lives.
Helen moved into the Walbridge Wing nursing home in July of 2001. While living there, she became very fond of many of her caretakers and they likewise, became very attached to her. It was always a treat to see how well she was treated there and how much mutual respect there was between her and her caretakers. In 2002, her caretakers at the wing encouraged Helen to travel to the Colorado State Fair to participate in the fair’s annual “Silver Queen Contest,” Helen participated and won the contest, playing two beautiful piano solos for the large crowd attending. In 2003 Helen was selected to be grand marshall of the July Fourth Range Call Celebration.
In addition to her music, Helen loved reading, memorizing poetry and scriptures, going to the Temple, needle work and knitting. She loved to have many visitors and her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and her many friends have been greatly influenced by her strength, kindness, generosity, and loving nature. She has truly been an inspiration to us all and her spirit will continue to guide us for many years to come.
Helen was preceded in death by her husband Carl in 2001, an infant son in 1947, her grandsons David Seely, George Richardson and Joseph Burdick. She is survived by her two daughters, Beverly Jane Burdick and Patricia Ann Richardson and her two sons Daniel B. Seely and Jerry Carl Seely, as well as ten grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.
Helen’s life was one filled with love, music, family, religion and charity. Her faith in God and her amazing perseverance has been an inspiration to us all. She was well respected by all who knew her and loved by all who knew her well.
Funeral services were held Saturday, Oct. 14, from the Meeker Ward Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Interment was made in the Highland Cemetery. Friends may make memorial contributions to either the LDS Church Missionary Fund or the Walbridge Memorial Wing through Cochran Memorial Chapel which has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Published in the Rio Blanco Herald Times (Meeker, CO) – October 19, 2006
Helen B. Seely
Oct. 23, 1907 – Oct. 10, 2006
Helen B. Seely, 98, died Oct. 10, 2006. She was married to Carl H. Seely in 1931. Their first home was in Castle Dale, Utah. Helen and Carl moved to Green River, Utah in 1933, where they lived for about 10 years before moving to Meeker, Colo. Funeral services were held Sat., Oct. 14.
Published in the Emery County Progress(Castle Dale, UT) on 8 November 2006
