Ralph William "Buster" Seeley
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: January 11, 1920
Date of Death: December 29, 2020
Birth Place: Winfield, KS
Death Place: Orchard Mesa, CO
Ralph William “Buster” Seeley
January 11, 1920 – December 29, 2020
A fine man in the eyes of God, the community, and our country has gone to his Lord and Savior.
Ralph William Seeley, oldest of three children, was born on January 11, 1920, in Winfield, Kansas to Ira and Stella Seeley. At just ten years old, Ralph moved with his family to Colorado to homestead on Glade Park. He attended the Pipeline School on Glade Park, graduating from the eighth grade in 1935. He attended Appleton High School where he graduated in 1939. Ralph loved Western Colorado and made it his home, but Glade Park always held a special place in his heart. After he retired, Ralph moved back to Glade Park and, with the help of his sons, built his retirement home there. It was a favorite place for family gatherings and had tremendous views. Ralph was so well known up there that he was often referred to as the “Mayor of Glade Park.”
Ralph married Eleanor Lehmann on November 26, 1942. Less than five months later, on April 14, 1943, Ralph entered the Army Air Corps, where he served in England during WWII. He remained in the National Guard after the war, retiring with the rank of Command Sergeant Major after 30 years of service.
After returning from the war, Ralph and Eleanor built a home in Orchard Mesa and raised three sons, Ralph E. (Nancy), Ray (Gail), and Murl (Terry). All three are married and currently reside in Western Colorado.
He went to work for Sperber Construction in 1948 as a carpenter. He would stay with Sperber for the rest of his career, building more than 100 homes and businesses all over the Western Slope. The most notable of these was the Valley Federal Building. Today, it’s known as the Alpine Bank Building. It has remained one of the tallest buildings in all of Western Colorado.
Ralph and Eleanor were lifelong members of Messiah Lutheran Church and School in Grand Junction. Ralph served as an Elder in the church and Eleanor taught Sunday school there for many years. Both were very generous with their time, talent and treasures.
Ralph had a variety of interests outside of work and church. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding horses, keeping and riding them until he was in his 80’s. As a teenager, Ralph tried his hand at breaking horses. Unfortunately, he wasn’t particularly good at it, but it earned him the nickname “Buster” which stuck with him among his family and friends for the rest of his life. Ralph was a member and two-time president of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Posse. He rode for the Sheriff’s Posses in countless parades and rodeos in Mesa County.
An avid baseball fan, Ralph was one of the original founders of the Orchard Mesa Little League. His love of baseball stayed with him his entire life and he was a fixture every year at the Junior College World Series, watching as many games as he could with Eleanor and his sons, and later his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
1996, Eleanor passed away after a valiant battle with leukemia. Ralph remained on Glade Park a few more years before deciding to move down in the early 2000’s. As luck would have it, the house he built for his family in Orchard Mesa was available for sale. He purchased it and lived there until 2005.
In 2005, Ralph married Marilyn Dalberg, another longtime member of Messiah Lutheran Church. They were married 15 years. Marilyn passed away in 2020 at the age of 89.
Ralph is survived by his three sons, six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren, as well as four step-children and their families, and of course, his church family.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Messiah Lutheran Church and School of Messiah, 840 North 11th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501.
Published in The Daily Sentinel on January 3, 2021.
[Great-grandson of SGS # 2784g – Ralph William; Ira Eason; Ralph Waldo; Ira (# 2784g); Gideon (# 1098); Agur/Augar, Joseph; Joseph; John; Nathaniel; Robert]
