Earl Seaton, Jr.

Earl Seaton, Jr., 93 of La Crescent, died on Sunday, January 4, 2015 at the Benedictine Manor in La Crosse. Earl was the sixth of the seven children of Earl Seaton, Sr. and Julia (Hockett) Seaton. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings: Cecil, Ralph, Virgil and Wilbur Seaton, Ruby (Anthony) Larson and Esther (Rubin) Kiesz. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, A. Sylvia (Gaare) Seaton, and his children, Laura Seaton and her husband Thomas Felsheim, Peter Seaton and his wife Cindy Seaton; his grandsons, Max Seaton Felsheim and his wife Anna Miller of St. Paul, MN, and Jacob Earl Seaton and his wife Megan Seaton of Atlanta; and by his step-granddaughters, Melissa Huffman and Emily Galvan both of Memphis, TN. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Betty Seaton and many nieces and nephews.

Earl was born in Verndale, MN in 1921, where he commenced his athletic career. He attended St. Cloud State College with his life-long Verndale friend, Jack Conley. They played three sports (baseball, basketball and football) and were co-captains of the basketball team. Earl was named “Little All-American” in basketball. He was drafted to play professional baseball, but that career was not to be given his enlistment in the United States Navy as an Ensign during WWII. He was on a rocket boat in the Pacific for four years and survived a bombing which killed seventy-five percent of his shipmates.

After the war, Earl returned to his hometown to teach, coach and become principal of Verndale High School. He also played town team baseball with Verndale well into his forties. His brother Willie was also a member of that team. He met his wife, Sylvia, who was also a teacher at the school in Verndale. (Earl’s story was that they started dating because she had a car and he did not). They both taught in Verndale until 1965. While there, Earl organized faculty plays, parties, coached many successful teams and taught school. He had many fond memories of his students, players and could re-live every game he ever coached there until his death.

In 1965, the Seatons moved to La Crescent, MN to work at the new high school. Earl was the athletic director, principal and football coach. He was extremely honored when the school named the football field, “Earl Seaton Field.” Visitors were often required to view the field and in fact, on his final trip to the hospital, he had the ambulance drive by the field for one last look. Although he missed his family and friends in Verndale, he loved living in La Crescent and participated in Lions, Rotary, Pine Creek Golf, La Crescent Foundation, American Legion and the Methodist Church. He also wrote a weekly column for the Houston County News called “What’s Going On Down There” about school, local and family events.

In the summers, Earl coached, obtained his Master’s Degree from North Dakota State University in Fargo and worked for Great American Insurance Company as a crop Hail adjuster until he was 75 years old. He was honored by his induction into the Minnesota Athletic Directors Hall of Fame where he was recognized for his contribution to excellence in girls’ and boys’ athletics. He was also named the Applefest “Man of the Year” and Coach of the Year for region 1 in 1971.

Earl had a great lust and enthusiasm for life, which he approached with humor and a positive attitude. He loved his friends, family, students, and every meal he ever had was the “best meal I ever ate.” He loved to tell jokes and was continually competing with Sylvia for the humor award. On his birthday, he regularly had his family drop him off in Winona so he could walk home. He often organized long hikes with students, friends and family. When he retired, he walked at least five miles each day, played golf and learned to make bread and his famous sauerkraut hamburger buns. He and Sylvia worked the crossword puzzle every day together. He planned many trips with his circle of friends to the cities and sporting events. (He was not at all opposed to a trip to the casino.) Earl was a true extrovert who loved to eat, drink and be merry. He was proud of his family, friends, former students and players.

Earl was grateful for all the caregivers who allowed him to remain in his home with Sylvia until the last weeks of his life, especially Linda Tikal Gasper, who was the daughter of his close friends, Earl “Stub” and Lavina Tikal. Also thanks to Sandy Jore (HomeInstead), Bonnie Thompson LaPiano, Molly Wickershen, Becky Kahle, Paige Barnes and many others who provided assistance and care, as well as the fine care he received at Benedictine Manor and from St. Jude’s Hospice.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Tuesday, January 13th at the La Crescent United Methodist Church, 520 N. Elm Street, La Crescent, with Rev. Greg Nelson officiating. Military honors will follow the services at the church. Friends and family may call at the church on Monday from 4:00 until 7:00 P.M.  A private family interment will be held in the Toledo Cemetery overlooking the 7th green of the Pine Creek Golf Course, where he got his hole-in-one.