John Seiler

John Seiler, 78, of Humboldt, passed away March 13, 2009 at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital. A Mass of Christian Burial will be10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Monday at the Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home in Humboldt with a parish rosary at 4:00 p.m. and Parish vigil service at 8:00 p.m. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Humboldt with full military rites by the Adams American Legion Post 119 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5240.
John is survived by his wife, Laura of Humboldt; children, Richard “Dick” (Lynn) Seiler of Pocahontas, Russell (Mary) Seiler of Humboldt, Ronald (Kristi) Seiler of Pocahontas, Jeffrey (Ronda) Seiler of Chanhassen, MN, and Shirley Seiler of Kansas City, MO; grandchildren, Angela Seiler, Anthony Seiler, and David Seiler; step-grandchildren, Jodi Walstrom and Josh Hamilton; great-grandchildren, Tre Seiler, Autumn Seiler, Maxwell Seiler, and Austin Seiler; step great-grandchildren, Detrick and Emma Walstrom; son-in-law, Alan (Annette) Lindahl of Sioux City; and sisters, Rose Mary Swaney of Des Moines, Maxine Noble of Britt, and JoAnn Heifner of Humboldt. He was preceded in death by his parents; Daughter Mary Lindahl ; brothers, Jim and LeRoy Seiler; and infant brother Kenneth Seiler.
John Seiler the son of Anton “Tony” John and Catherine (Laux) Seiler, was born November 24, 1930 a half mile south of Sexton, Iowa. They then moved to Nashua before moving to St. Benedict. The family then moved to Wesley where John graduated from High School in 1949. It was in Wesley where John worked in the Root Hardware Store during school and following his graduation. He entered the United States Army, serving in the signal corps during the Korean War and was stationed in Panama. He was united in marriage to Laura Ward on November 5, 1952 while on leave. Following his honorable discharge, the couple made their home in Humboldt where John was employed in Jerry Vandenberg’s appliance business. 1963 John started an appliance service business and in 1965, he bought out Vandenberg’s to establish Seiler Appliance and Service in Humboldt. John and Laura owned and operated the business together with the help of their four sons for many years. In 1976, John helped his son Dick establish Seiler Appliance in Pocahontas, which Ron later joined. In January of 1996, they sold Seiler Appliance and Service to their son Russ and John continued to remain active in the business.
John was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and sang in St. Mary’s Choir and the funeral choir. He was active in the Adams American Legion Post 119 where he served as Post Commander, Humboldt County Commander, Eighth District Commander, and State Vice Commander, and drove the “riverboat” in many parades. He was a past president of the Humboldt/Dakota City Chamber of Commerce. He was active in scouting where he was awarded the Silver Beaver (The highest award given to an adult), served as the committee chairman and chose the National Boy Scout of the Year as State Boy Scout Chairman for the American Legion. He was also a member of the Community Chorus, Jaycees, Toastmasters, and for 33 years, was in charge of the Humboldt Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular. He along with his family was awarded the Family Sprit Award of Humboldt. John’s travels with Laura included Ireland, Hawaii, England, Spain, Canada, Germany, Mexico, and Switzerland. He enjoyed horseshoes, bird feeding, flowers, photography, Christmas lights, and antiquing, and above all, he enjoyed his family and working.
Memorial may be made to the discretion of the family.