Ellen Seeley (born Simonton)
Personal
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: December 23, 1925
Date of Death: October 25, 2016
Birth Place: Purdum, NE
Death Place: Gladstone, OR
Ellen Seeley
Dec. 23, 1925 Oct. 25, 2016
Ellen L. Seeley was born at home on Dec. 23, 1925 on a ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska, close to the small town of Purdum. Ellen grew up in Nebraska with her parents, Lew and Anna Simonton, and siblings, Murle, Morris, Dorn, Paul, and Betty. She had many adventures on the ranch and attended school in Purdum until a teenager. She completed high school in Wisconsin. She returned to Purdum and met Harold Seeley; they married Nov. 16, 1944. While Harold served overseas in the Army during WWII, Ellen worked and lived in Omaha with her sister Murle. Once reunited, she and Harold returned to Purdum and had three children, Jim, Bob, and Lorraine. Harold worked at the Purdum Bank; Ellen and Harold bought the Rainbow Ballroom in Halsey and hosted “big” bands on Saturday nights. They moved to Oregon in 1957; Harold worked at US National Bank and Ellen worked in retail. They formed a wide circle of friends and were active in church, the Koinonia group, their dance club, card club. Elks, and the West Linn Lions. Ellen loved traveling, having parties, gardening, painting, baseball, playing her organ, and playing with her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. She moved to Somerset Assisted Living in Gladstone in 2003, where she was a strong member of the community. She was preceded in death by her husband, in 2000; and by her son, Bob in 2004. She is survived by her children, Jim (Carol), Lorraine Rowlette (Mark); Bob’s wife, Joan; her sister, Betty; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m., Dec. 3, 2016 at Emanuel Presbyterian Church, 19200 Willamette Drive, West Linn, OR.
Published in The Oregonian from November 25 to November 30, 2016
[Wife of great-great-grandson of SGS # 2278 – Harold Floyd; Ferris; John Burdell; Charles; Abner (#2278); Abner (# 816); Abner, Joseph; John; Benjamin; Nathaniel; Robert]
