Marcus Harvey Seaford

Marcus, husband, father, friend, Green Beret, tunnel rat, kitty lover and super-hero died June 12th, 2013 at home surrounded by his family and hospice angels. The room was so full of love it almost burst. His courageous battle with lung and bone cancer is considered a victory, as it was never able to penetrate his funny bone. A believer in “Laughter is the Best Medicine”, Marcus taught us all that while pain may be inevitable, suffering is optional. Pollie, the love of his life, stole his heart at an early age and never gave it back. In their 51 years of marriage they had many adventures, mishaps, speed bumps and miracles. Never a dull moment. Pollie and Marcus endured many challenges in their marriage, most notably, their 3 children, Tana, Barbie and Monty. They must have done pretty well, because they all turned out to be fairly normal. Pollie was not only his best friend, she took the best possible care of him “in sickness and in health”, but she became the “laughter nazi” making certain he received large doses of his preferred medicine and provided much of it herself! Marcus was born in Utah and raised in Libby Montana, asbestos capital of the US (coincidence??). He was young and handsome in 1961 when he volunteered for service in the Army’s 82nd Airborne and later went on to the Special Forces. This was the beginning of a lifelong fascination of flying airplanes and jumping out of them. He attended flight school, became a flight instructor, enjoyed flying around the country in his own small plane and was an avid sport parachutist for years. In later years, he became a radio controlled airplane enthusiast and while he was very good at his other airborne hobbies, he was known at the RC flying field as “Crash”. During his career, he spent much of his time underground first in mines then later as a “Tunnel Rat” working in tunnel construction. It was often a dangerous occupation, but being very safety conscience, he managed to escape with only one major incident where doctors were required to reattach his ear to his head. Leaving Montana to following the construction circuit, Marcus dragged his family all over the west moving 2 dozen times. While it was traumatic, especially to teenagers, it is now clear that is one of the reasons our family was and is so close. From his mother, Sunny, Marcus inherited a giant soft spot in his heart for animals. Our gypsy lifestyle made it difficult to have pets, but after retirement he made up for lost time. He found his second love, Elsah, AKA psyco cat from hell, from a wonderful rescue in Cortez, For Pets Sake. He loved her unconditionally, despite her quirks and sharp claws and teeth. Marcus and Pollie were drawn to Kanab, UT where they volunteered with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and became instrumental in the Great Kitty Rescue. Marcus volunteered thousands of hours, cleaning and caring for 114 cats. Due to his gentle, patient manner he was able to handle cages for even the most aggressive feral cats. Some credit goes to Elsah for his training. Marcus was so incredibly lucky to have all of his “Angels" at the end. Beacon of Hope Hospice team always did everything they could to keep him comfortable, clean and smiling - not because it was their job, but because they truly cared. Their kindness and loving care will not be forgotten. Another group of angel's appeared magically just when we needed them the most. Rrotating shifts so that Dad had 24/7 care during his last week, they took the best possible care of him and somehow fit in perfectly with our wacky sense of humor. They were often the cause of dad's chuckle, smile, or twinkle in his eye. The family has chosen to skip the somber funeral service and wait till they are ready to party. Because family and friends are spread out all over there will be multiple Celebrations of Life! Kanab, UT in mid-August and Morro Bay, CA in October or November. Stay tuned for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to For Pets Sake, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Cat House on the Kings, CaringBridge or your favorite charity. Marcus was a kind, soft-spoken, generous, strong, good humored, polite man who will be an inspiration to many long after he is gone. He will be missed along with his delicious Beer Butt Chicken.

Marcus Harvey Seaford

May 17, 1941 - June 12, 2013