Loren G. Seely

Loren G. Seely, 79, left his earthly life on August 9, 2022.  He was born in Cherokee, Iowa to Maxwell G. & Florence (Rupp) Seely on January 24, 1943.

Loren was preceded in death by his parents & brother, Robert Seely.

Loren is survived by his wife, Ann, and daughters, Joy Brott & husband, Merv, Jennifer Northcutt & husband, Keith. He is survived by his brother-in-law, John Ludwig & John's wife, Vivian. Loren is also survived by granddaughters, Jessica & Savannah Scheffler and sisters Maxine & husband John Elser, Donna & husband Robert Elser & Joan Seamans.  He is survived by many nieces & nephews as well.

Loren graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from Northeast Missouri State University. He attended Graduate School for Chemistry at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

On September 2, 1967, Loren married the love of his life, Ann J. Ludwig, in West Bend, Iowa. In June 1969, Loren accepted a job with Winzen International (now Raven Industries), so he & Ann moved to Sulphur Springs, TX.

Loren was employed for 43 years by Winzen/Raven Industries at their Sulphur Springs facility.  He travelled extensively on business, worked on many scientific ballooning projects across the globe & personally visited 45 countries.  Loren authored many scientific papers & was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).  He also held numerous patents & created many innovations for the scientific ballooning community that are still in use today. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Loren was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church on November 6, 1982, in Longview, Texas. Loren served as a Deacon in St James Catholic Church in Sulphur Springs. Loren loved serving others: he counseled young couples, performed music at Mass & taught adult religious classes.  Over the years, Loren presided over many baptisms, weddings & funerals (as he would say: “Hatch ‘em, match ‘em & dispatch ‘em!”).  Loren delivered informative & entertaining homilies from the early 1980s well into the 2000s at St James & many other locations.

Loren’s other passion in life was music.  He played the bass & guitar instruments in jazz, blues & religious music for many years.  Loren was a prolific composer of music, creating many original blues compositions.  He also mastered music for up-and-coming artists and maintained a mobile recording studio.  Loren performed in many bands over the years, including the Sulphur River Jazz Band, the Northeast Texas Choral Society, Joyful Noise and the Old Dawgs/10th Fairway Studios. He also performed as Uncle Chester with the Community Players in the musical, "Forever Plaid."

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 11, 2022, from 6 to 8 p.m. at West Oaks Funeral Home, 500 South Hillcrest Drive, Sulphur Springs, Texas. There will be a Prayer Service at 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday, August 12, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., at St. James Catholic Church, 297 Texas Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482. Burial will be at the Restlawn Memorial Park in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Pallbearers: J. B. Smith, Jeff Smith, Garrett Glass, Breck Vonder Hoya, Tony Aguilar & Richard Smith. Honorary Pallbearers: Musical Friends and Business Associates.

In lieu of floral & plant arrangements, the family is requesting that donations be made to the St. James Building Fund in memory of Loren at the above address. Arrangements are under the direction of West Oaks Funeral Home. www.westoaksfuneralhome.com

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