Kenneth E. Seiling

1925-1984

Kenneth Seiling was born on September 25, 1925, in Otsego, Michigan. He had two older sisters, Barbara and Evelyn. He had a Collie dog while working on the farm and being a paperboy.

He had small classrooms in school, and he walked there wearing cotton pants and a cotton button down collar shirt. The President at that time was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The classes that he took were basic: reading, writing, math and history, his favorite, which he was good at. He did a lot of hand writing for reports. Baseball and marbles were his favorite sports. He won a baseball award as a teenager and his favorite sports team was the Detroit Tigers. Also, as a teenager, Bing Crosby was his favorite singer, along with Vaughn Monroe.

He loved to read “Black Beauty” and western books while eating corn flakes or oatmeal. Candy bars cost him five cents; a movie cost twenty cents. His first date was when he was sixteen years old. He rode a bike or walked to get around. In his spare time he collected baseball cards and shopped out of a Sears Catalog. His favorite family tradition was Christmas time with family get-togethers.

Kenneth’s biggest historic event was World War II which he served in as a member of the U.S. Air Force. A disaster that he witnessed while in the Air Force was seeing planes being shot down. (His plane was shot at, but luckily he made it.)

He got married to Jackie Laning in Oshtemo, Michigan, in 1960, and they were married until his death, twenty-four years. They had four sons, fifteen grandchildren, five great grandchildren three stepdaughters, and one stepson. His jobs were bus driver, carpenter, cable T.V. installer, farmer and an electrician at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. His worst memory was World War II. But he did travel to Germany and all over Europe during the war. His favorite memories were raising his children to be strong and proud.

Daron Emery

Fifth Grade

Engadine Elementary School

Thank you, Mrs. Kleeman, for your help, attention, and the picture. You helped me a lot. I had two and one quarter pages of your father, Kenneth. Have a nice day!