William Henry Seibert III

William Henry Seibert III

William Henry Seibert III., age 91 of Medford, passed away on Sunday evening, March 22, 2009, at his residence, Avamere at Waterford.
Born April 21, 1917 in Fernandina, Fla., the only child of William H. Seibert II and Nancy Downes Seibert.
Bill attended schools in Fernandina, St Petersburg and Jacksonville, Fla., before graduating in 1933 at age 16 from Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville. His attendance at the University of Florida was interrupted by his service in the Army during WWII on Jan. 20, 1943. During the war he served with the 299th Combat Engineers as a 1st Lieutenant, training at Camp White in Oregon and southwest England in preparation for the D-day invasion of Europe in 1944. Bill landed on Utah beach with Company B an hour before the planned landing to clear beach obstacles and mines, continuing on and experiencing the liberation of Paris, being captured for three days during the Battle of the Bulge and ending his service in Europe at Nuremburg Germany. As he was being transferred to Japan for the impending invasion, the end of the war was declared and he returned to the United States with his Army service ending Dec. 30, 1945.
Upon his return to the United States he immediately returned to Medford, Ore., to marry the girl he met during his time at Camp White, Jean Lydiard. They were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Medford on Sept. 9, 1945, starting 63 years of marriage. In 1946 their first son, John, was born in Florida, followed by their second son Robert in 1950 in Oregon.
After their wedding, the couple returned to Florida where Bill completed his studies in architecture and graduated from the University of Florida in June 1948. He then started his practice of architecture in Florida in June 1949. In June 1950 they returned to Oregon, followed by three years in California, again returning to Oregon for good in 1954. Bill practiced architecture in Florida, Oregon, California, and Washington until his retirement July 3, 1990. In 1970 Bill received a Master of Urban Planning Degree from the University of Oregon. Bill was a member of the American Institute of Architects for 53 years. He was a member of the Medford Rotary Club for over 50 years, served on the Rogue Valley Manor Board of Directors for 25 years and The Salvation Army Advisory Board for 48 years. He was active in the Rogue Valley Genealogy Society and many other community groups. He was involved in the development of the Camp White Museum at the VA in White City. Bill also volunteered along with Jean at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center after his retirement until he was 89 years old.
Before and during retirement Bill and Jean enjoyed traveling around the United States by car. They visited Europe in 1992 with the 299th engineers, to visit locations of their WWII Campaign. They traveled with family to Great Britain, France and Belgium in 1999 and to Australia - New Zealand in 2000.
Bill is survived by wife, Jean Seibert; son, Robert; daughter-in-law, Loree; grandchildren, April, Brittany, and William. His son John preceded him in death in 1999.
A celebration of life will be held Monday March 30, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at Eastwood Baptist Church, 675 Keene Way Drive. A graveside committal will be held at the Eagle Point National Cemetery at a later date.
The family would like to thank the Avamere staff and Providence Home Health/Hospice staff for their care. Many thanks to Dr. John Jackson for caring for Bill for so many years.
The family asks that memorial contributions be made to The Salvation Army, Medford.