Jerry Don Seager, 84, of Mulberry, passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of Monday, March 18, 2024, surrounded by his wife and children. He was born on March 5, 1940, to Robert W. and Betty L. (Lecklitner) Seager in Lafayette, Indiana.
The year he was born, his parents moved from Mulberry and built a house in Des Plains, Illinois. With the arrival of his twin sisters, his parents decided to move three-year-old Jerry and the twins back to Mulberry, so they could grow up on the generational family farm. There, he spent his childhood playing in the multi-story barn, raising livestock, and farming the fields. Originally homesteaded by the family in 1831, Jerry was the sixth of now nine generations to live on the Lecklitner-Seager farm.
Jerry married the love of his life, Barb Pierson, on June 17, 1962. Having dated through High School and College, he often joked that they had really been married since 1946, the day they met in First Grade at Mulberry Elementary.
Attending Ball State Teachers College, Jerry received his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1962. After graduation, he taught 6th Grade at Mulberry Elementary for five years, also serving as Assistant Principal for his last year. He enjoyed teaching at the same school alongside Barb and Betty. While teaching, he took evening courses at Ball State for a Master’s in School Administration, commuting to campus with Barb so they both could fit their graduate studies into their teaching and married life in Mulberry. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Jerry and Barb soon moved from in-town Mulberry to take over the family farm and raise their children as Jerry had been – gardening, mushroom hunting, and exploring nature in the countryside.
During summers off from teaching, Jerry worked running heavy equipment for the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). Upon receiving his Masters in 1967, he left teaching to become the IUOE Apprenticeship Coordinator for Indiana, Local Union 103. There he established a statewide apprenticeship program for the Operating Engineers. This included hiring instructors, scheduling, payroll, and record keeping, all the while teaching about operating machinery. He said it was a lot like being a school administrator, and a good use of his degree. Education was important to him, and he loved that his wife, two daughters, and a granddaughter were all elementary teachers, with his eldest daughter being a principal.
Jerry worked as an administrator for IUOE for 27 years, retiring at age 55 to, as he said, “become busier doing more things that I enjoy.” Back on the farm full-time, he built a barn that included a well-equipped wood shop where he spent a lot of his time making wooden models and toys. Jerry also loved to travel, and he and Barb drove around the US, where they went to every state, enjoying the National Parks and historical sites. After venturing into Canada and Alaska, and enjoying the Canadian Rockies, they took multiple tours across Europe.
Jerry’s love of the outdoors shone through with him spending his youth in Boy Scouts at Camp Cullom with other Mulberry boys who became lifelong friends. He stayed in Scouting throughout his life, receiving his Eagle, serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 336 for 25 years, and continued to help with Eagle Scout projects at Camp Cullom after that. He was proud to have multiple generations of Eagle Scouts in the Seager family, with his two sons and a grandson receiving theirs in the same troop as him. He also stayed connected to Camp Cullom throughout his life, building wooden structures for the playground and nature center, and serving on the Board to help Cullom grow for many generations of kids to come.
Jerry grew up hunting with his father and enjoyed searching for rabbits and upland birds on the family farm and in nearby fencerows and woodlots. For deer hunting, he would load up his truck and head to Michigan with his brother-in-law and friends. They hunted up there for many years until white-tailed deer were reintroduced to Indiana. It meant a lot to him that he could teach his boys to hunt coveys of quail and small game right there on the farm, and then to hunt deer that had returned to the surrounding area and nearby counties. In the 1960s, Jerry took trips to Colorado to hunt elk by horseback. Growing up, his children heard stories of his hunting and camping adventures in the Rocky Mountains. So he was excited when his two boys took him back to Colorado on a hunting trip in 2013, where in the snow and at 9000 feet in elevation, he finally got his first elk. Passing on his passion for nature and hunting to his kids and grandkids was one of his great joys and pride.
Jerry built community and helped friends and neighbors on many farm and construction projects. He mentored many young men in the community, helping them with Scouting, hunting, and supporting them as a father figure. He was past president and officer of: Camp Cullom/Clinton County Foundation for Youth Board of Directors (member for 28 years), Wildcat Conservation Club (and life member), and the Operating Engineers Historical Society for the US and Canada (member for 25 years); past Master and 50-year member of Mulberry Lodge #618; past officer of the Mulberry Men’s Golf League; and life member of the Murat Shrine of Indiana.
Jerry lit up when his grandkids and great-grandkids would come to visit. He loved watching them explore nature, giving them rides on tractors, teaching them gardening, and seeing them start their lives. That made his “many enjoyable trips around the sun” filled with love and happiness.
Jerry is survived by: his wife; four children: Joan Seager (Jess) of Monticello, Craig Seager (Sandy) of Mulberry, Trent Seager (Chris) of Newport, Oregon, and Meg Keyton (Frank) of East Bernstadt, Kentucky; four grandchildren: Kathy Martin (Alex) and Nick Seager (Shelby) of Mulberry, Grace Keyton and Grant Keyton, both of East Bernstadt, Kentucky; four great-grandchildren: Will and Hadley Martin, and Mallory and Wes Seager, all of Mulberry; and a sister, Charlene Davis (Denny) of Flora. He is preceded in death by: his parents; a son, Michael Kent Seager; a sister, Maureen Nelson; and many other relatives and loved ones.
Services will be at the Mulberry United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 23, 2024, with Kathy Martin officiating. Visitation will be from 12:30 to 3:30 PM followed by a Masonic Service at 3:30 PM and a memorial service from 3:45 to 4:30 PM. Instead of flowers, Jerry’s wish was for those who want to honor him to donate to Camp Cullom or Mulberry Lodge #618, two organizations dear to his heart. More information can be found and donations can be made at: https://app.bluebutterfly.com/memorial/v2/jerry-seager. Messages of condolence to the family are welcomed at www.dayandgenda.com.