Lois Seelye

Lois Seelye passed away on May 3, 2024, at the Edgewood on Dominion in Bismarck.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30AM, Thursday, May 9 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 502 N 4th St, Bismarck. 

Visitation will be held from 5:00PM to 7:00PM, with a prayer service starting at 7:00PM, Wednesday, May 8 at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave, Bismarck. 

Interment at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

To view the service livestream, click this link Live Stream - Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck, North Dakota (trinitybismarck.com)

Born in Lansing, Michigan, May 16, 1930, to Vernon and Louise (Brohn) Bailey. Lois was the oldest of 10 children. Just days after her birth, the family relocated to North Dakota.

Lois attended and graduated from school at Wing, ND.  She later attended Valley City State College and graduated from Minot State College with a degree in elementary education, with emphasis on Special Education.  

Lois married the love of her life, Del Seelye, on November 8, 1951. From this marriage came two daughters, Helen (Lyn) and Debb.

During her early years of teaching, Lois taught grades 1-8 in country schools for 17 years. She then accepted a teaching position with Bismarck Public Schools where she taught Special Education for 30+ years, retiring May 1998. She loved all of her students and looked forward to seeing them each and every day. After she retired she would occasionally see some of her students or their parents and she loved to reminisce about those special years.

With Del being very involved as a longtime coach of USA Boxing of North Dakota, Lois shared his interest and soon was appointed the State Secretary of ND Boxing and filled that position for many years. She took pride in doing the work and keeping all the state boxing activities organized and maintaining boxing records. She took pride in having had the opportunity to be in the presence of boxing standout Virgil Hill during the younger years of his career.  

Lois was a born caregiver.  From raising two daughters and watching her four grandchildren during the summer months when she wasn’t teaching and her daughters were at work to also frequently caring for her two oldest great grandchildren. Her family was her everything.

Lois is survived by her daughter Debb Scharosch; Jami Huber; Kyle (Kelly) Kapsch; Kaysi Kapsch, Kody (Brittney) Scharosch, all of Bismarck; great grandchildren Tanner Tesky, Bismarck; Saralyn Huber, Fargo; Benjamin and Zander Kapsch, Bismarck; Aspyn and Krew Scharosch, Bismarck; sister Mavis Stastny, Bismarck; sister-in-law Donna (Terry) Kraft, Mesa, Arizona; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Del Seelye, daughter Lyn Kapsch; son-in-laws Diede Kapsch and Mick Scharosch; parents Vernon and Louise Bailey; siblings, Alta Anderson, Leonard Bailey, Kenneth Bailey, Marion Iverson, Joyce Bailey, Earl Bailey, Irma Bailey, and Grace Bailey.