John Seaders

1934 - 2021

John Seaders

May 4, 1934 - December 11, 2021

John Seaders went home to heaven on December 11, 2021. He was born May 4, 1934, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Willem Johannes Sieders, and his wife, Anna Catherina, née deKleijn. He emigrated to the US with his family in 1950. One week after arriving in the US, John would make the most important decision of his life, becoming a Christian by accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Throughout John's life his decisions were characterized by a deep desire to "know God and to make Him known," and he lived by the theology that "all of life is spiritual."

In June 1953 John enlisted in the US Army. He served in Company B 26th Signal Battalion and was stationed at Chuncheon, Korea. He was honorably discharged on June 6, 1956. John studied civil engineering at Oregon State College, and on September 24, 1957 John married Anne Smith. They would have five children, Ian, David, Lowell, Mae Anne and Peter. John and Anne created a home where their children were taught of the Lord, and where countless people were ministered to, provided for, and loved on. They were committed steadfastly to raising their children in the love and admonition of the Lord and to being a Christian witness in every aspect of their lives.

In 1969 the family moved to Borneo, Indonesia, for a year of engineering work in a Christian mission compound. In 1970 while teaching at OSU, John joined with two others to form MSS Inc. an engineering firm. In 1980 John resigned from OSU and in 1981 began working full time with MSS, the business he helped to create, build, lead, and eventually transition to son, Peter. He was working 40+ hours per week at MSS up until his illness in September prevented him from continuing. In all things John believed God's word to be the utmost authority in his life and treasured, and taught, the book of Proverbs. He steadfastly believed Proverbs 19:8 - To acquire wisdom is to love your own soul, people who cherish understanding shall prosper. Up until his passing he was actively discipling new Christians, mentoring young men and women, and cherishing his family and friends. The words of Paul to Timothy are most appropriate for John Seaders: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

John is preceded in death by his wife, Anne, and his parents, Willem Johannes, and Anna Catherina. He is survived by his children, Ian (Sonja), of Winterthur, Switzerland, David (Jane), of Terrebonne, daughter-in-law, Cheryl Seaders Carlson, of Corvallis, Lowell (Nancy), of Coos Bay, Mae Anne (Mark), of Lincoln, Nebraska, Peter (Nina), of Corvallis, 15 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of John's journey home to eternity with Jesus will be at 3 p.m., Sunday, December 19, at Grace City Church, 4000 SW Western Blvd., Corvallis, 97333. Graveside service will be Monday, December 20. at 12 p.m.. at Twin Oaks Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 34275 Riverside Drive, Albany 97321. A vehicle procession will assemble at McHenry's Funeral Home, 206 NW Fifth St., Corvallis 97330, at 11:45 a.m.