James Seda

1935 - 2016

James Seda, 81

James Roy "Jim" Seda, 81, of Iowa City and St. Charles, IL, died Monday, October 24, 2016 at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.

A Funeral Mass will begin Saturday at 9:00 am at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa City. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in Iowa City. Visitation will be held Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Lensing's Oak Hill, 210 Holiday Road in Coralville. A parish vigil service will begin at 7:00 pm Friday. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to the James R. Seda Memorial Fund.

Born May 29, 1935 in Traer, Iowa, the son of Joseph & Rose (Boushka) Seda, Jim grew up in Traer, Iowa and graduated from North Tama High School. He attended University of Northern Iowa, received a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Iowa, and studied History a graduate student.

Serving in the U.S. Air Force in Bitberg, Germany in the 1950's, he returned to Iowa to attend college on the G.I. Bill. He married Mary E. Lyman August 26, 1961 in Iowa City at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

Jim was Managing Editor of the Daily Iowan until 1962, and was always very proud that he managed the paper during John Glenn's orbit of the moon. He was honored with a Hancher-Finkbine Outstanding Student Award from the University of Iowa and was subsequently invited each year to the prestigious Finkbine Dinner. He worked as a marketing executive for Nichols Homeshield for most of his career, and then for General Electric. Upon his retirement, he attended auctions and ran an eBay business, which he greatly loved.

Survivors include his wife Mary; daughter Karen Seda of Chicago and Iowa City; sons, Joseph Seda of Elk Grove Village, IL; Thomas Seda of Fishers, Indiana,

and Patrick Seda of Senoia, GA, grandchildren Erin, Zachary, Daniel, Elizabeth, Alexandria, Rebekah, Olivia, Jonathan, and Natania, two sisters, Helen Finn of Waterloo and Dorothy Marxen of Davenport; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a son Jeffrey; siblings Frank Seda, Bessie Husak, Edward Seda, Fred Seda, Emma Kubik, Rosie Seda, and Joseph Seda, as well as his beloved Yorkshire Terriers, Coco, Daisy, Duke and Daisy.

He loved the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs. He always said his dream job would have been to be the announcer at Wrigley field. When he recently moved back to Iowa from the Chicago area, he said, "Now I am home."

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