Ralph William "Buster" Seeley
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6B - January 3, 2021
Ralph William
“Buster” Seeley
January 11, 1920 - December 29, 2020
A fine man in the eyes of God,
the community, and our country
has gone to his Lord and Savior.
Ralph William Seeley, oldest
of three children, was born on
January 11, 1920, in Winfield,
Kansas to Ira and Stella Seeley.
At just ten years old, Ralph
moved with his family to
Colorado to homestead on Glade Park. He attended the Pipeline
School on Glade Park, graduating from the eighth grade in 1935.
He attended Appleton High School where he graduated in 1939.
Ralph loved Western Colorado and made it his home, but Glade
Park always held a special place in his heart. After he retired, Ralph
moved back to Glade Park and, with the help of his sons, built his
retirement home there. It was a favorite place for family gatherings
and had tremendous views. Ralph was so well known up there that
he was often referred to as the “Mayor of Glade Park.”
Ralph married Eleanor Lehmann on November 26, 1942. Less
than five months later, on April 14, 1943, Ralph entered the Army
Air Corps, where he served in England during WWII. He remained
in the National Guard after the war, retiring with the rank of
Command Sergeant Major after 30 years of service.
After returning from the war, Ralph and Eleanor built a home in
Orchard Mesa and raised three sons, Ralph E. (Nancy), Ray (Gail),
and Murl (Terry). All three are married and currently reside in
Western Colorado.
He went to work for Sperber Construction in 1948 as a carpenter.
He would stay with Sperber for the rest of his career, building more
than 100 homes and businesses all over the Western Slope. The
most notable of these was the Valley Federal Building. Today, it’s
known as the Alpine Bank Building. It has remained one of the
tallest buildings in all of Western Colorado.
Ralph and Eleanor were lifelong members of Messiah Lutheran
Church and School in Grand Junction. Ralph served as an Elder in
the church and Eleanor taught Sunday school there for many years.
Both were very generous with their time, talent and treasures.
Ralph had a variety of interests outside of work and church. He
enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding horses, keeping and riding
them until he was in his 80’s. As a teenager, Ralph tried his hand
at breaking horses. Unfortunately, he wasn’t particularly good at
it, but it earned him the nickname “Buster” which stuck with him
among his family and friends for the rest of his life. Ralph was
a member and two-time president of the Mesa County Sheriff’s
Posse. He rode for the Sheriff’s Posses in countless parades and
rodeos in Mesa County.
An avid baseball fan, Ralph was one of the original founders of the
Orchard Mesa Little League. His love of baseball stayed with him
his entire life and he was a fixture every year at the Junior College
World Series, watching as many games as he could with Eleanor
and his sons, and later his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
1996, Eleanor passed away after a valiant battle with leukemia.
Ralph remained on Glade Park a few more years before deciding
to move down in the early 2000’s. As luck would have it, the house
he built for his family in Orchard Mesa was available for sale. He
purchased it and lived there until 2005.
In 2005, Ralph married Marilyn Dalberg, another longtime
member of Messiah Lutheran Church. They were married 15 years.
Marilyn passed away in 2020 at the age of 89.
Ralph is survived by his three sons, six grandchildren, 14 greatgrandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren, as well as four
step-children and their families, and of course, his church family.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Messiah Lutheran
Church and School of Messiah, 840 North 11th St., Grand Junc
