Mary Caroline Seaman

The Seaman family said goodbye to the mother and rock of their family on August 9, 2024. Mary Seaman, 78, passed away peacefully early Friday, listening to her favorite Irish music with family by her side. Mary was born February 12, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Thomas and Carolyn McWay after her father returned from service in WWII. Mary attended Catholic school and said that she received the best education around. Her favorite childhood memories were spending time with her beloved Granny, a model for the kind of selfless and loving mother that Mary would later become. Granny made sure that Mary could attend Nerinx Hall, a private Catholic high school for girls. Mary never took for granted the gift of her education at Nerinx, and she cherished the thirteen years she had with her Granny. Mary’s family vacationed in the Ozarks every summer at Alley Springs. Although she was not a fan of camping, she enjoyed going to the nearby roller rink. It was there that she met the charming and handsome Ken Seaman. They married on August 20, 1966, in St. Louis, and lived in the small town of Eminence, Missouri, for the next nine years. During that time, they had two children, Julie and Brian. Mary worked as a head start teacher at Eminence Elementary School, and she and Ken owned and ran the Dairy Isle. She faithfully supported Ken’s bluegrass music shows and festivals, working the “gate,” doing concessions, and helping him stay organized. They explored Colorado in the summers and began to save her income from teaching so that they could make the move west. In 1974, the family moved to Fort Collins. Mary and Ken partnered with a couple of friends and refurbished and opened the Red Garter (now Lucky Joe’s) in Old Town. In 1976, her youngest son Nick was born, an unexpected joy for her and the family. It was at this time that Mary decided to pursue her dream of a college degree because daycare options were minimal, and CSU had a great program for Nick. For the next few years, Mary would work, go to school, and care for her children – a testament to her work ethic and commitment to family and education. Although Mary’s true love was history and literature (and anything Irish), she graduated from CSU with a degree in business. She taught classes at Voc-Tech (now Front Range Community College) and then worked most of her remaining years as an office manager for Riverside Technology in Fort Collins. After retiring in her 60s, she began her true passion of reading and writing book reviews for three different publications. She was able to visit Europe several times, attending a writing conference in Ireland on one trip and going several other times with Ken’s bluegrass band. Mary had a particular love of genealogy and researched and recorded her family’s immigrant roots for several generations. On one trip to Europe with Ken’s band, she took her family so that they could see where their great-great grandmother had lived in Kilkenny, Ireland, before boarding the ship to New Orleans and then on to St. Louis. Mary’s love of literature and reading was a solace and reprieve from life’s trials. In books, especially those of her favorite Irish authors, she could vicariously experience what her immigrant ancestors faced and also find voices in her own quest to understand life and God. She returned to her Catholic roots later in life and attended and volunteered at Saint John XXIII Catholic Church in Fort Collins. She attended St. Patrick’s Church services in Sidney, Nebraska, where she spent the last year of her life. Although Mary always worked, her priority was her family. She attended every event, took her kids to every appointment, and read to them from the moment they were born. She looked forward to the choir, skating, theatre, and dance performances of her granddaughters, and made sure she had crafts, toys, and favorite foods at her house for their frequent visits and stays. She worried and fretted about her kids and grandkids to a fault. The tragedy of her life came when she lost her son Nick to cancer in 2011. When her daughter-in-law Erin moved to California for a short time with her youngest grandchild Stella, Mary flew out each month to spend time with them. Two years later, she lost her son-in-law Tim, also to cancer. Through each of these ordeals, Mary was on duty watching her granddaughters Jacque and Stella, staying at the hospital, and doing whatever was necessary to support her family. She had a special love for children, and welcomed her ”fellow Aquarian,” grandson Keegan into her fold when Julie remarried Paul Milewski. Mary was a loving, generous, solid rock that her husband, children, and grandchildren could count on without fail. After the death of Ken in 2021, Brian and Paula and Julie and Paul provided loving care for her as Alzheimer’s disease began to progress. Her intellect and independent spirit did not allow the disease to consume her, and she brilliantly used her long-term memory to compensate for the short-term memory deficits. She continued to walk, read her Wall Street Journal and books every day, and made friendships with the residents and staff at her assisted living. She called the shots to the very end. The family would like to give thanks to the incredible staff and residents at Sloan Assisted Living in Sidney for their love, care, and appreciation of Mary’s “unique” brilliance and independent spirit. The family would also like to thank the staff at Cottonwood Creek in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for their kindness and care, not only to Mary, but to the family as she passed. Mary leaves behind so many friends and family: late husband Ken Seaman, Julie Milewski (Paul), son Brian Seaman (Paula), late son Nick Seaman (Erin), granddaughters Jacque Rickett and Stella Seaman, and grandson Keegan Milewski. A Memorial Mass will be held 10 am, Friday, August 16, 2024 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 1039 14th Avenue, Sidney, NE 69162. A Graveside Service will be held 11 am, Monday, August 19, 2024 at Grandview Cemetery, 1900 W. Mountain Avenue, Ft. Collins, CO 80524. A Celebration of Mary's life will follow at 1 pm, Monday, August 19, 2024 at C & B Potts, 1441 E. Horsetooth Rd., Ft. Collins, CO 80525.

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Mary Caroline Seaman

February 12, 1946 - August 9, 2024