Nelson "Jack" Seeley, died September 21, 2023 at the age of 102. He lived a full and vibrant life until his heart wore down last week. He was born in Chalk Butte, South Dakota on June 4, 1921 to parents Vera and Frank Seeley. The family moved to Baker, Mt where siblings, Robert, Gwendolyn and Harold joined the family. His father was killed in a factory accident when Nelson was just six, leaving his mother with four children under the age of six. Many years later, his mother married Rex Bruce and two siblings, Susie and Gordon, joined the family.

He loved growing up in Baker and spent fond hours running the hills with his brothers and friend Harvey Nichols. A child of the Great Depression, he went to work at age 12 for Rueben and Ramona Mehlhaff who owned the only bakery in town. He began delivering bread and baked goods to restaurants in town. Later he advanced to the actual baking and was often called out of high school to fill in for Rueben. The principal told him it was better for him to miss school than for the town to go without bread. This job allowed him to provide support for his family in lean times.

He graduated from Baker High school in May of 1938 and took a train to Chicago Illinois, where he found room and board with his boss's relative in the Lake View neighborhood.  He immediately found work and began night school at Wright Community College. It was in this neighborhood he met "a very attractive slick chick", who lived across the street, Eve Tabar.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 training as a Piper Cub pilot He received his orders to report and, in just six days, Eve's parents put on a full wedding on July 3, 1943. Relatives and friends donated meat and sugar rations for the dinner. Three days later he reported to duty. Eyesight mustered him out of the pilot program and sent him on a miserable and very long boat ride to Iwo Jima and later Saipan. Frustrated by the food on the ship, he offered to make bread, pastries and cakes to fill the time. An officer recognized the importance of an experienced baker over his inexperience truck driving assignment and facilitated the transfer. He received three Overseas Service Bars, a Bronze Battle Star and World War II Victory Medal.

Returning to Chicago after the war, he went to night school at Loyola University while working for the IRS as a criminal investigator. He earned an accounting degree, his CPA and later, a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University. Over his career he was admitted to the bar in Illinois, Arizona and Montana.

During this time in Chicago, he and Eve had two children, Linda and Rex. They began a lifelong passion of buying and managing rental property. They turned their first home into three apartments and shared the main floor bathroom with another family.

In 1958 he was promoted to the IRS Chief of Intelligence for the state of Montana and moved the family to Helena. He found these first few years particularly exciting as he was tasked with raiding slot machines and pinch boards on the Montana highline and Miles City.

In 1962 he was chosen for the new Executive Development training program at the IRS in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles to become a District Director. He was Assistant District Director for Arizona where the family lived from 1963-66 and was offered state Directorship of Montana in 1966, returning his family to Helena where he finished his career retiring in 1974.

During his time in Helena, he and Eve continued building their rental business by purchasing the Park Avenue Apartments, the Blackstone Apartments and numerous rental houses. In 1971, they purchased the Iron Front Hotel and began the arduous process of restoring every room in the three-story hotel. He painted the 4th floor ballroom ceiling lying on his back on scaffolding. He worked diligently to receive the Historic Registry designation for this amazing 1885 building.

He was an avid sportsman and enjoyed league bowling, fly fishing, hunting, and captaining his sailboat. His passion was golf, and he was good at it. He was the oldest and longest serving member of Green Meadow Country Club., playing league golf until he was 98. He enjoyed spending hours looking for other people's lost golf balls and zipping around the club in his golf cart decked out with a set of Texas Longhorns until one broke off making it a uni-horn. He treasured his time teaching grandchildren, Rhett and Tara, the game and later included great grandkids Makayla, Tanner and Khloe Buckland on the course. He said many times over the last few years how he loved the fact Rhett and Tara's families had became members of the club as well.

He loved Green Meadow and his great club friends. He celebrated each birthday until he was 100 shooting a ball for each year of his age, accompanied by his grandson, Rhett Buckland. At 101 he began the count again at 1 but he said two felt so good at 102 that he hit 17 more. In his late 80's and early 90's he spent so much time using the Green Meadow fitness room that is now called The Nelson Seeley Fitness Center in his honor.

A great believer in giving back, he spent countless hours in civic involvement both in Montana, Phoenix and Chicago. He generously gave his time and money to the community. He was a proud Lion, Elk, and Elder of the Presbyterian church. He worked on the campaign to fund the first MRI machine at St Peter's Hospital. He co-founded the Chamber of Commerce's Red Coats hospitality program and was the first director of the United Way campaign. He worked for the Red Cross and served on their committee to choose their national director. He donated countless hours of service to the Helena community.

He spent his 100th birthday inspecting the construction work on the Seeley Building on Last Chance Gulch. He believed in the power of education and created many scholarships at Baker and Jefferson High schools and for the First Presbyterian Church and Mariah's Challenge. He loved Carroll College as well, endowing many scholarships. An avid Saints basketball fan he continued to sit in his same seat for each home game. He was so grateful for the ride and assistance of his dear friend, Jerry Loendorf , who made these games possible. Just a week ago he was talking about attending the upcoming season.

He was extremely generous to his family, mother, siblings and friends. He practiced random acts of kindness, once anonymously paying for the necessary dental work for a long- time Green Meadows groundskeeper. In Chicago in 1941, he wrote a letter to Roy Rogers, who was performing in the city, asking him to visit two young boys stricken with Muscular Dystrophy. Roy came, wearing fringe, spurs and packing two six guns!

He and Eve began traveling the world with the Montana Friendship Force in the 1970's, later accompanying daughter Linda on her student tours to Europe and Australia. He loved seeing the world of architecture and art.

During the 1970's he developed a passion for Western Art and especially the art of friend Robert Morgan and sculptor, Bob Wilfong. Perhaps his greatest moment as a collector came when he was asked to serve as one of three jurists for the Russell Art Auction. He loved auctions and estate sales and was always on the lookout for a bargain. He could often be seen pushing a cart through the aisles of Costco or Safeway, then alerting family members of a particularly good deal.

One of his life highlights was being honored as an American Hero of WWII on a Dream Flight in August 2021. He was thrilled to sit behind the cockpit of a Stearman 75 biplane as it flew over the Gallatin Valley.

Nothing brought him more joy than praising the successes of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His high expectations were hard to meet but celebrated with extreme joy and pride. He was a force of nature, and our lives are better for him having been in it.

He was preceded in death by his parents Frank and Vera, stepfather Rex, brothers Robert and Harold, and sisters Gwen and Susie. He is survived by his better half of 80 years, wife Eve, daughter Linda, son Rex (Judge Kathy) Seeley, grandchildren Rhett (Kim) Buckland, Tara (Peter) Buckland-Johnson, Nick (Samie) Seeley and Dr. Ann (Zack) MacQuarrie. He knew and loved his seven great grandchildren, Tanner, Makayla and Khloe Buckland; Jack, Seeley and Scarlett Johnson; and Miles Seeley.

The family is indebted to the staff and doctors at the Fort Harrison Veterans Hospital who took such good care of Nelson for the last thirty years, as well as life-long friends Ray Kuntz, John Peros, Danny and MaryAnn Fiehrer, Jerry Loendorf, and Christine Christensen, who helped make his last years at home possible. Private family services and interment will be held at Fort Harrison Cemetery on October 10. A public celebration of his life will be held the same day at Green Meadow Country Club from 12-3pm. Memorials may be made to Carroll College.

Simple Cremation Montana has assisted the family.