Henry W. Seeley Jr., 94, died on Jan. 17, 2012, at his home at the Indian River Estates in Vero Beach.
Seeley was born in Washington, Conn., on July 8, 1917, son of Margaret Abbott and Henry W. Seeley.
He attended The Gunnery School, Amherst College, where he played varsity football and baseball, and George Washington University in Washington DC, where he earned a master’s degree.
He was married for 63 years to Joan Lilley of Waterbury, Conn.
He attended the first Candidates’ Class for the US Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia shortly before the outbreak of World War II.
After graduation he taught at the Motor Transport School, followed by participation in the invasions of Guadalcanal, Benika, Peleliu, and the Philippines, much of that time with the First Marine Division.
Towards the end of the war, he served on Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s staff in the Philippines.
He was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in combat during the assault on the airport during the invasion of Peleliu.
He was awarded the Silver Star along with a Purple Heart for combat wounds.
He retired from the Marine Corps as a full colonel in 1963, and embarked on a 20-year career in business; first with College Life Insurance Company in Indianapolis and then with Louis Allen Associates, serving in Chicago, Johannesburg South Africa, and finally in Palo Alto, Calif., where he was president of the company.
He retired in 1983, and moved to Vero Beach.
Seeley loved poker and parties, and was a master of both; a lifelong sports enthusiast, he played golf and tennis until the last year of his life.
He had wide-ranging interests and a large circle of friends made over a lifetime.
Over the past 25 years, he gave his time to the Vero Beach Theater Guild, Lions Club, and FLiCRA, where he held various leadership positions.
In 2011, Seeley was escorted by the Honor Flights organization-which recognizes and honors World War II veterans-to the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. with a group of fellow veterans.
He was predeceased by his wife Joan and his two sisters, Helen Seeley deCourcy and Ruth Seeley Fisher.
Survivors include his daughters, Margaret Mikels, of Indianapolis, Ind., Robin Seeley, of Ashland, Ore., and his son, Greg Seeley, of Washington, Conn.; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Vero Beach Lions Club, PO Box 1204, Vero Beach, FL 32961-1204.
Burial services will be private.
A memorial celebration of his life will be held at Indian River Estates at 2300 Indian Creek Blvd., Vero Beach, on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, at 10 a.m.
