Obituary of Gertrude A. Seekamp

Gertrude A. Seekamp of Florida, NY, passed away on Saturday, July 27, 2013 at ORMC, Middletown, NY surrounded by her family. She was 90. The daughter of the late Anton Nebel & Gertrude Seitz, she was born on April 18, 1923 in Warwick, NY. On March 17, 1944 Gertrude married John P. Seekamp. That same year she received her B.E. from the State Teachers College at New Paltz. Her intellect and sense of humor, her kind, loving, Zen-like spirit were apparent in everything she did and touched everyone she met. Genuinely sincere and caring for all, her unwavering positive outlook on life was a source of inspiration to all who knew her. An avid reader who loved to visit local libraries and area book sales, she was rarely seen without a book in hand, often reading aloud passages, articles, or even letters from past or present. She had the social graces and motherly skills that extended well beyond her immediate large family to touch friends and strangers alike from all walks of life. Gert also loved the holidays, especially Christmas, where she cherished being surrounded by her family. She was the inspiration for, and oversaw, a yearly charity to quietly provide winter clothing and holiday presents to area needy families so that the children of others would not be left out. She was often sought after to dispense her motherly wisdom to many young mothers and fathers alike in the care and raising of their own new families. She had an adventurous spirit which had her still camping in the Mountains of NH at 89. Throughout the years spent with her "swashbuckling" husband "Johnny", and sometimes her "too carefree" children, often found herself at the center of hair-raising episodes including; racing around a dirt track on her children's go kart with a throttle stuck wide open, sitting at midnight in a runway dinghy on the strong currents of a coastal seaport river while on an extended sailing trip to New England, and touching down in an emergency hot air balloon landing on the grounds of the Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center surrounded by several surprised guards. And somehow she always made it home in time to cook supper! Gert was a lifelong volunteer, working for Home Dem, PTA, Scouts, The Beacon Sloop Club, The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and the Mid-Hudson Woodcarvers Guild. She was also a member of a "vintage" card club in the 50's and 60's where cards were only part of the fun. In her 70's she began delivering Meals on Wheels with her husband Johnny and they joined the Golden Floridians Seniors' Club when she was 82 years young. She is survived by her loving husband of 69 years, John P. Seekamp; 9 children; Kathleen, Michael, Kevin, John, Mary Beth, Patrick, Timothy, Devon, Peter and their spouses and significant others, 6 Grandchildren; Danielle, David, Nyssa, Liam, Caleb & Lilia. She is also survived by several nieces, Kathleen Nebel, Barbara Kretschmer, Elizabeth (Williams) VanEtten and Mary Rita (Williams) Schlagel and her best friend of 88 years, Betty (Shephard) Knapp and their families. She was predeceased by 3 brothers, John, Ernest and Frank Nebel and sister, Elizabeth "Lib" Williams and nephews, John Nebel Jr., Robert "Whitey" Nebel and nieces Elizabeth (Nebel) Salousalia, Gertrude (Nebel) Romanazzi and Roberta Nebel. Memorial visitation will be held from 2-4PM on Saturday, August 24th at the T.S. Purta Funeral Home, 22 Glenmere Avenue, Florida, NY 10921. The family requests that you wear "festive colors" and not the traditional black. Memorial contributions may be made to the Florida Public Library, 4 Cohen Circle, Florida, NY 10921 or Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., 724 Wolcott Ave., Beacon, NY 12508.