Donn Elkington Seeley
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: August 5, 1925
Date of Death: March 11, 2018
Birth Place: Chillicothe, IL
Death Place: Bellingham, WA
Donn Elkington Seeley
Donn Elkington Seeley passed away peacefully on March 11, 2018 of natural causes. Donn was born on August 5, 1925 in Chillicothe, Illinois to James and Maude (Elkington) Seeley. He attended Duke University before proudly joining the US Navy in 1942 and trained as a pilot. After an Honorary Discharge, he completed the University of Wisconsin’s Electrical Engineering program. In 1949 he moved to Indonesia for Standard Vacuum Oil Company to explore for oil in the jungles of Sumatra. Upon returning to the US, Donn graduated from Cornell with an MBA in 1957. Donn met his wife Marlene on a blind date in Bellingham, Washington and were married on June 9, 1957 in Bismarck, ND. Donn and Marlene settled in Seattle, Washington (Boeing), then in 1959 moved to California (Stanford Research Institute); from there they moved in 1964 to Bangkok, Thailand (SRI). They returned to California in 1966 before moving to Hong Kong in 1970 for International Telephone and Telegraph, where Donn was elected Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce. The family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia in 1975, where Donn worked on an Indonesian domestic satellite project for ITT. After returning to California in 1976 Donn began consulting, and teaching international business classes at Golden Gate Univ. In 1989, Donn and Marlene moved back to Bellingham, where Donn consulted on projects for Whatcom County and taught at Whatcom Community College. Donn’s passion for adventure and world travel defined him and in turn defined his grateful family. Donn is predeceased by his beloved wife Marlene, and parents James and Maude Seeley. Donn is survived by his sons Donn (Nance), Todd (Robert), Bruce (Christine) and Dean (Raissha) Seeley, 6 grandchildren, Madeleine, Gabrielle, Henry, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Samuel Seeley, and sister Anne Forbes, as well as extended family and friends. A Memorial Service will be planned in Bellingham during the summer months and information will be updated on son Bruce Seeley’s Facebook page.
Published in Bellingham Herald on March 25, 2018
