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Submitted: 1/2/23 • Approved: 1/7/23 • Last Updated: 2/8/23 • R1463639-G0-S3
Jan 30, 1939 - Feb 23, 2005
The Rev. Dr. Ira Patterson "Pat" Seymour, age 66, of Sherwood passed away at 5:32a.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2005 with his wife and daughter at his side. Pat was born January 30, 1939 in Jacksonville, Florida to Lillian Patterson Seymour and Russell Seymour. Pat's childhood years were spent in Jacksonville Beach, where his father was Chief of Police, and Burbank, CA. He graduated with a BA from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida where he began an extensive involvement in the Civil Rights movement. He then attended Episcopal Seminary at The University of South, Sewanee, Tennessee for two years and the Episcopal Theological Seminary at Cambridge, Massachusetts for three years. During these years he spent a summer assisting in the Chaplain's office at San Quentin Prison in California. Upon graduation from ETS he returned to his home Diocese of Northern Florida. After serving as a Deacon in St. Augustine, FL he moved to Jacksonville, FL and was attached to the Cathedral. He became involved in housing renovation and community organization in the poorest parts of the city. From there he moved to Washington, D.C. where he was Assistant Rector at St. John's Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill and earned his J.D. from Howard University. He Later earned his D.Min. degree in spiritual direction from the Graduate Theological Foundation and a Ph.D. in International Theology from Christ Church, Oxford, England.
Pat served many Episcopal churches during his long career including as assistant rector of St. John's, Washington D.C., rector of St. Mary's, St. Paul, Minnesota; rector of St. Paul's, Lansing, Michigan; St. Luke's, Kalamazoo, Michigan; St. Mark's, Grand Rapids, Michigan; St. Paul's, Macon, Georgia; and Grace Church, Athens, Georgia; as interim Rector of St. Luke's, Anchorage, Kentucky, Calvary Church, Columbia, Missouri, and Grace Church, New Orleans, Louisiana; and as Vicar of St. Stephen's, Jacksonville, Arkansas. While at St. Stephen's he also served as one of the chaplains for the Little Rock Air Force Base.
Pat was very involved in the Episcopal Cursillo and the Methodist Walk to Emmaus families of loving Christians who help one another walk a closer walk with God. He served on the Cursillo Secretariat. He wanted everyone he met to experience this wonderful, special fellowship and served as a Spiritual Advisor for Cursillo #70 in October, 2004. He was very full of life and so much love of God and every single human being he ever encountered. He loved reading, art, drama and music, especially that of the Choir at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Little Rock.
Pat dearly loved his wife, children, grandchildren, in-laws and friends. He also loved to cook and share Italian and French wine with friends and family, especially his daughter and son-in-law, son and granddaughter. He enjoyed traveling, especially to the Florida beaches, the Caribbean islands and to Europe. Italy and everything Italian was very special to him. He also had very fond memories of a six-month sabbatical in 1989 spent in South Africa where he served the Kuruman Moffat Mission.
After serving at St. Stephen's, Jacksonville he retired in December, 2003 due to health problems, which were later diagnosed as ALS. He and his wife, Betty, then joined St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Little Rock. During their two years there Pat's happiness and courage has been a wonderful witness to fellow parishioners and clergy. When he could go almost nowhere else, it was important to him to attend Sunday services at this wonderful parish where he gave and received many blessings and so much love.
Prison ministry at the Tucker, McPherson and Maximum Security units of the Arkansas Department of Correction became a passion of his during his retirement. It was important to him that these inmates knew that God loved them and that there were people on the outside who still cared about them. He was trained as a Certified Religious Assistant for the Maximum Security Unit and taught classes there in the "Principles and Applications for Life (PAL)" program. The love between Pat and the men he taught and counseled there and in the Kairos program at Tucker was an amazing thing to witness. Even after he totally lost the ability to speak, eat and walk he continued visiting these men and words were not necessary between them in order to communicate fluently their mutual love and respect. One of the inmates he grew close to worked with him before and after classes to teach him a few phrases in sign language which he then proudly taught to everyone he knew.
Pat's mother, father, and brother, Sam Seymour, preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Betty Seymour of Sherwood; daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca and Tony Olsen of Lusby, Maryland; son, Jonathan Seymour of Carlsbad, California; brother, Russ Seymour and wife Barbara of Haughton, Louisiana; granddaughter, Lauren Olsen of Lusby, Maryland; grandsons, Tyler and Nicholas Seymour of Carlsbad, California; Rebecca and Jonathan's mother, Judy Seymour of Lusby, Maryland; step mother-"second Mom", Doris Seymour of Jacksonville Beach, Florida; half brother Mike Seymour of Tampa, Florida; half sister Prissy Laffey of Austin, Texas; mother-in-law, Mable Benton of Sherwood, AR; sister-in-law, Nancy Seymour of Burbank, CA; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Thomas and Noelle Benton of Fayetteville, AR; nephews, Tyler Benton and wife Veronica of Fort Smith, AR; Jeff Benton and wife Sara of Booneville, AR; Dan Benton of Clarksville, AR; and Andrew Benton of Fayetteville, AR; niece Hillary Benton of Fayetteville, AR; one great nephew and two great nieces; his brothers and sisters in the ME group; and many, many dear friends.
A service to celebrate the life of Pat Seymour will be held on Monday, February 28, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1000 N. Mississippi, Little Rock, with Bishop Larry Maze and Fr. Rocki Proffitt presiding, followed by internment in the St. Mark's Columbarium. Following internment a reception/lunch with stories shared about Pat will be held in St. Mark's Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Episcopal Cursillo in Arkansas, c/o Jim Dalton, 94 Cherrywood Drive, Cabot, AR 72023; St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1000 N. Mississippi Ave., Little Rock, AR 72207; MDA/ALS Association 523 S. Louisiana # 560, Little Rock, AR 72201; St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 2413 Northeastern, Jacksonville, AR 72076; or Arkansas Hospice, 5600 West 12th Street, Little Rock, AR 72204.
Contributed on 1/2/23 by eagle12953
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Record #: 1463639