William Seifert Jr.

William Carl Seifert Jr. March 5th 1920-March 10th 2010 East Bay Florist William "Bill" Carl Seifert Jr. passed away on March 10th, five days after celebrating his 90th birthday with friends and family. Born and raised in Oakland, Bill played basketball in high school and college, and earned a degree from UC Davis in animal husbandry, as he planned to be a cattle rancher. When WWII broke out, Bill joined the navy and was promoted to Lt. Commander of his battleship escort. His friend and future brother-in-law Richard McKenzie introduced him to Dee Jane Ledgett. Dee and Bill married in 1947, built a house in Orinda, and raised their three children - Bill III, Dana and John. Bill and Dee owned Seifert's Floral Co., which was established on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland in 1919 by Bill's parents. Dee persuaded Bill to open their 2nd floral shop in Orinda in 1967. Bill was proud to have built Seifert's Floral Co. into the top 2% of floral operations nationwide. After Dee passed in 1998, Bill moved to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek. Bill was devoted to his profession, community, and church. Among many of his activities, he was the first director of FTD's Region 15; a long-time member and past president of the North Oakland/Emeryville Club and (more recently) a member of the Orinda Rotary Club; a member and past president of the Orinda Country Club; a member of the "100 Club" that supports the Boy's and Girl's Club; an enthusiastic Cal "Bear Backer"; a proud Uni High Alumni; a devoted member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church; and a Children's Hospital supporter and benefactor. Bill was known for his generosity, his interest in others, and his fun-loving spirit. He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, June and Richard McKenzie and their family of Nevada City. His son Bill III, daughter- in- law Eithne Dunne, his daughter Dana and son-in-law Ed Murphy, and son John. His four grandchildren, Terra, Derek, Kyle and Shauna will lovingly remember their "Papa." His Great Granddaughter, Nora Brooks Kaethler, who is less than a year old, will one day appreciate the pictures of their first few meetings. Services will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal in Orinda at 3pm, Tues. March 23rd, 2010.