JoAnn Marie Seeley
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JoAnn Marie Seeley of Santa Paula passed away peacefully on the morning of Monday, February 15th, President's Day, in the home of her son, Andrew, where she was being cared for by family.
She passed away surrounded by the prayers and good wishes of her family and many friends.
JoAnn was born on July 7, 1940, and raised in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area, the daughter of Wesley Howard and Bernice (Rice) Shaffer. Sadly, her parents lost two sons in infancy; though she never knew them, JoAnn always felt connected, especially to her older brother, John.
She received a B.S. in Medical Technology from Western Michigan University (WMU) in 1961, and earned a Master's Degree in Administration from the University of Cincinnati. She worked in medical laboratories for over 50 years. JoAnn had an abiding interest in forensics and criminal justice and continued to study criminology after her retirement. She was very proud of her many years of service as a volunteer for the Santa Paula Police Department.
At WMU she met her future husband, the Rev. Burns Kellar Seeley (deceased, 2007). They had four children, John, Andrew (Lisa), Teresa (Mario), and Joseph (Monica), whom they raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had many great friends there, but family was always dearest to her, so she followed her children westward to Ventura County in 1993. She was able to welcome and enjoy the youth of her twelve grandchildren, see some married, some enter the religious life, and eventually hold seven great-grandchildren in her arms. "Grammy" was always present to encourage and cheer on her grandchildren as they competed in sporting events, acted in plays, or sang in concerts. They will all miss her very much.
With her lively personality, JoAnn brought fun and adventure wherever she went. She traveled to all fifty states, and saw the world -- Mexico, England, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. She taught her three sons (and some of their friends) to ride motorcycles, and then went touring with them. She introduced them to Reds baseball (including landing tickets for one of the '75 World Series games), fine restaurants, Star Wars movies, and the Lord of the Rings.
JoAnn was a convert to the Catholic faith, and was well known at St. Sebastian parish in Santa Paula, where she attended daily Mass and Rosary, and sang in the choir for nearly 20 years. She joined Father Charles Lueras for pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Ephesus, and other devotional spots.
JoAnn had a strong constitution and some great doctors. She held Stage IV lung cancer at bay for four years.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Burns, her cousin Doug Schuur, and in the past year, by her close friends Virginia Baker and Joanne Boudreaux.
Visitation will have a limited capacity from 6:00pm to 8:30pm on Monday, March 8th, 2021 with a rosary to begin at 7:00pm at St. Sebastian Church, 235 N 9th Street in Santa Paula. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30am on Tuesday, March 9th, 2021 at St. Sebastian Church. Interment to follow at Santa Paula Cemetery, 380 Cemetery Road in Santa Paula. Seating is limited, so please let the family know if you would like to attend.
To view JoAnn's live stream services and sign the family's online guestbook, click on JoAnn's name located below "Obituaries" at www.santapaulafuneralhome.com.