Obituary of John Paul Seekamp

John Paul Seekamp of Florida, NY, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, October 4, 2015. He was 95. The son of the late John Herman Seekamp & Victoria Veronica (Lepczyk) Seekamp, he was born on May 10, 1920 in Chester, NY. As a baby he was held by Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As a young man he rode an Indian motorcycle and worked on various farms in the area. He enlisted in the army November 24, 1941, two weeks before the US entered into WWII. He was stationed at West Point from 1941-1945. He met the love of his life, Gertrude A. Nebel, at a dance in Warwick, NY in 1939 and they were married on March 17, 1944. While still at West Point he was in charge of the canon salute as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's funeral procession. He was Honorably discharged Dec. 19, 1945, after the war ended, receiving the WWII Victory Medal, American Service Medal, American Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He was a man of many talents and he wore many hats (figuratively and literally). He worked at the State Training School, Co-Owned a catering business with George McCormack, ran Seekamp's Soft Serve Ice Cream Stand in Florida, NY, Managed the Peacock Tour Train at Sterling Forest Gardens, Co-Owned Warwick Valley Homes, Inc. w/ Martin Petersen, was an Insurance Salesman, Real Estate Broker, Town Of Warwick Supervisor and original Black Bear Campground Owner. And of course, along with Gertrude, raised nine children. His adventures through his long life were as colorful as he was. He was a consummate joke- teller, a folk artist, wood carver, model boat builder and a genuine jack-of -all trades. He rode in hot air balloons, sailed his boat on the Hudson River, owned and rode horses, renovated then drove the long,long trailer (a la Lucy and Desi ) to Virginia Beach in the early 50's then later took his family on summer vacations to Cape Cod in a pop-up camper he built for such outings. He played the harmonica, and would serenade his children and grandchildren with "Happy Birthday" on each of their birthdays. He was a lifelong volunteer for various organizations; A Boy Scout leader of Troop 44 who wrote a Scout's advice column for the Newburgh Evening News in 1954 called "That Time in Your Life", and another co-authored with Jack Parmerter for the Warwick Valley Dispatch that same year called "The How of Scouting", past member of the Lion's Club, Knights of Columbus, Past President of the Florida (NY) Democratic Club, Warwick Democratic Club, The Beacon Sloop Club, The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Golden Hill School and was a member of the Mid-Hudson Woodcarvers Guild. In his 70's he began delivering Meals on Wheels along with his wife Gertrude and they joined the Golden Floridians Seniors' Club when he was 85 years young. He is survived by his 9 children; Kathleen, Michael, Kevin, John, MaryBeth, Patrick, Timothy, Devon, Peter and their spouses and significant others; 7 Grandchildren; Danielle, David, Nyssa, Liam, Caleb, Lilia and Jasper. He is also survived by his brother William (Bill Sr.), and sisters Ruth (Seekamp) Stellwagen and Rita (Seekamp) Geiger; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents John and Victoria, 2 brothers, Charlie and Ray his sister, Dorothy (Dot) Seekamp Black and his wife of 69 years, Gertrude (Nebel) who died in July of 2013. The family would like to thank the visiting aides and volunteers, Hospice of Orange & Sullivan County, especially the East Wing Team, and the V.A. of the Hudson Valley for their loving care and for helping their Father to remain at home. Memorial contributions may be made to: The Florida Public Library 4 Cohen Circle Florida, NY 10921 and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. 724 Wolcott Ave. Beacon, NY 12508 Cremation was handled previously under the direction of the T.S. Purta Funeral Home. There will be a memorial celebration from 2-4 p.m. on Sat., November 28th at T.S. Purta Funeral Home, 22 Glenmere Ave., Florida, NY 10921. Of course there is so much more to the story, please come and share with us your memories of our Dad. The family requests that you wear "festive colors" and not the traditional black.