Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Seavers in the News -- 1978 Obituary of J. Douglass Seaver (1904-1978) of Maine

  Here is this week's edition of "Seavers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the  Journal Tribune [Biddeford, Me.] newspaper dated Wednesday, 8 November 1978, page 2, Column 2:

The transcription of the article is:

"Brig. J. Douglass Seaver

"EAST LEBANON -- Brig. J. Douglass Seaver, 74, retied Salvation Army officer and East Lebanon resident since 1967, died Monday at H.D. Goodall Hospital, Sanford, after a long illness.

"He was born in Jersey Ciity, N.J., Feb. 2, 1904, son of pioneer Salvation Army officers Brig. Thomas and Florence Deighton Seaver.  He was commissioned a lieutenant in the Salvation Army in June 1925.  During World War II, he served in the USO program and in posts at Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Portland.

"He was a 50-year member of Trimble Lodge AF&AM at Cherry Hill, N.J., was a 32nd degree mason, and a member of Ziyara Temple of the Shrine at Utica, N.Y.  He was a member of the Camden Lodge of Elks, the Odd Fellows of Albany, N.Y., the New England Retired Officers Association of the Salvation Army, and a charter member of the American Association of Social workers.

"He had a lifelong interest in music and studied coronet at the New England Conservatorey of Music and played solo coronet with the New England Staff Band, the San Francisco Staff Band, and the New York Staff Band for the Salvation Army.

"Following his retirement in 1948 from the Salvation Army Men's Social Service Center at Portland, he carried on a ministry of visitation and correspondence to shut-ins and to the men at veterans' hospitals.  He was a substitute pastor at several area churches.  He also served as an officer in the Old Orchard Beach Corp.

"Surviving are his wife, Miriam Goodman Seaver; two sons, Douglas J. Seaver of Indianapolis, Ind., and Jonathan D. Seaver of Waterboro; a daughter, Mrs. George (Joy) Atwood of Waterboro; a brother, Brig. Thomas Seaver of Manchester, Conn.; two sisters, Mrs. Edward (Faith) Carey of Laconia, N.H. and Mrs. Walter (Florence) Squibb of Plymouth, Mass.; and three grandchildren.

"Funeral serives will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Salvation Army Corps at Old Orchard Beach.  Commissioner Bramwell Tripp and Brig. Hartwell Flemming will officiate.  Interment will be in Laurel Hill Cemeter, Saco, with committal services by Brig. Virl Alley.

"Calling hours will be tonight from 7 to 9 at the Heald Funeral Home, 61 Main St., Springvale."

The source citation is:

"Brig. J. Douglass Seaver," Journal Tribune [Biddeford, Me.] newspaper, Wednesday, 7 November 1978, page 2, column 2, J. Douglass Seaver obituary; imaged,  Newspapers.com   (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 June 2024).

This complete obituary provides everything one would want in a summary of a person's life.

Douglas Jonathan Seaver (1904-1978) was born 2 February 1904 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Thomas Charles Patrick and Florence A. (Daighton) Seaver.  He died 5 November 1978 in Sanford, Maine.  He married Miriam Helen Goodman (1915-2011) on 26 December 1941 in Camden, New Jersey.  They had three children:

*  Douglas James Seaver (1944-????), married 1975 Cheryl L. Metcalf (1944-????).
*  Jonathan David Seaver (1948-????), married 1980 Jeannine M. Perrine (1954-????).
*  Joy D. Seaver (1950-????), married 1975 George T. Atwood (1943-????).

I am not related to Douglas Jonathan Seaver (1904-1978).  He is from a Seaver line that was in Northern Ireland in the 1600s.

There are over 10,000 Seaver "stories" in my family tree - and this is one of them.   L
ife happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a person's obituary has much information about the deceased person.  I am glad that I can honor Douglas Jonathan Seaver today.  

You never know when a descendant or relative will find this blog post and learn something about their ancestors or relatives, or will provide more information about them to me.

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Disclosure:  I have a paid subscription to Newspapers.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.


Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

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