William Joseph Seaman, Sr

William Joseph “Mike” Seaman, Sr, 86, died September 25, at his home. He was born in Danbury, August 5, 1926, to Mary (Repko) and Joseph Seaman and attended St Joseph’s School and Henry Abbott Technical School in Danbury.

He was drafted into the military in 1944 and consequently volunteered for service in the US Navy. He served on the Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Flaherty #135, which escorted the carrier Guadalcanal to LeHavre, France, and Southampton, England, in 1945, the last convoy to Europe during the war.

On May 1, 1948, he married the former Olive McNamara at St Mary’s Church in Bethel. They moved to Newtown in 1952. He was a self-employed electrician from 1955 to 1962 and a union electrician until his retirement in 1988.

He was a longtime volunteer for St Rose, helping with carnivals and drives for the new school convent, church, and Immaculate High School in Danbury. He also supported the referendum for St Rose students to take the local buses.

He served as treasurer of the Local I25 Danbury Electrician’s Union until it merged with Local 488, and fundraised for the Democratic Party. In the 1960s he was a member of the permanent building commission in Newtown. He was an avid fisherman and hunter.

His wife; his children Mark Seaman, Bridget Seaman, and William Seaman, Jr, all of Newtown, Paul Seaman of Nevada, and Lynn Thibault of Gouldsboro, Maine; his grandchildren Melissa, Jason, Matthew, Zachary, and Shannon; three great-grandchildren, Alaina, Kiera, and Brevin; and a niece, Shirley Connors, survive Mr Seaman. A sister, Barbara (Seaman) Dratch, predeceased him.

The family would like to say a special thank you to the nurses and social workers of Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Connecticut.

Calling hours will be Friday, September 28, from 5 to 8 pm, at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, in Newtown. A service will then take place on Saturday, September 29, beginning at noon, also at Honan Funeral Home, with interment to follow at St Rose Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation at www.jdrf.org.

The Newtown Bee    September 28, 2012