Good Bye Seward

Seward died at home with Susan and Sarah there, Ben on his way. Rather than call a funeral home to take care of the arrangements, they did everything at home. He wanted to be dressed in his overalls, his flannel shirt, and a baseball cap and he was. There were candles burning and music playing; we spent time with him as we saw fit. Ben and Seward’s close friends carried him to the simple pine box he’d had built for this purpose and the minister spoke for a few minutes in the bright, cold Vermont morning. We all said goodbye. He was driven to the crematorium in his old fuel-efficient pick up truck and friends and family followed, and then gathered in Susan and Seward’s home afterward. There will be a memorial service on January 13 and in the meantime we are all working through the process of acceptance.

This non-traditional process suits Seward’s view of life perfectly and it was an honor to be included. Hospice is an amazing program and I would use their services without hesitation, it is so much more civilized than a hospital.

Sam and I left the house the evening Seward died and there was a full moon shining down on the icy snow. It was bright and beautiful and Sam decided he needed to take a little walk down the hill. At first I tried to stop him but I realized that there aren’t going to be many more opportunities like this and we need to live in the moment.


Seward Obituary

CALAIS – Seward Weber, conservationist and environmental activist, died Jan. 2, 2007, at his home.

He was 78.He was born in New Haven, Conn., the son of Joseph J. and Florence Van Vranken Weber, and grew up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He attended the Poughkeepsie Day School, of which his parents were founders, and was a graduate of Roosevelt High School in nearby East Park. In 1945 he enrolled in Dartmouth College and completed his freshman year before enlisting in the U.S. Army. After discharge, he returned to Dartmouth. While at the college, he was active in the Dartmouth Outing Club and managed the freshman and varsity ski teams. He was a member of Green Key and Casque and Gauntlet, two honorary societies.

After college, Seward entered graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in 1953 received a masters degree in city and regional planning. He then worked as assistant city planner in Greensboro, N.C., where he became involved with the American Friends Service Committee.

He traveled to Europe under its auspices to volunteer for postwar rehabilitation efforts in Germany, and remained a strong supporter of the AFSC all his life.

On return, he worked for the Rhode Island State Planning Office and the Boston City Planning Department. By 1960 he had become increasingly interested in higher education and joined the admissions staff of his alma mater Dartmouth. In 1961 he married Susan Bartlett, a children's book editor in New York.

They moved to Portland, Ore., when Seward took the position of director of admissions and financial aid at Reed College, and, later, to Northwestern University where he served as associate dean of students.

In 1971 the family came to Montpelier, where Seward assumed the directorship of the then-fledging Vermont Natural Resources Council, a citizens' environmental advocacy organization. In 1982 he received a Richard Mellon Fellowship to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and in 1984 became executive director of the Mohonk Preserve, a 6,000-acre natural area on the Shawangunk Ridge in New Paltz, N.Y., where he remained until his 1993 retirement.

Seward returned to his home and land in Vermont where he continued to be involved in environmental and conservation work through membership on the boards of the Vermont Land Trust, Audubon Vermont, Vermont Alliance of Conservation Voters and the Vermont Natural Resources Council. He was a member of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier.

He and Susan traveled widely – from Australia to South Africa – believing ardently in the benefits of cross-cultural exchange and lifelong learning. Through U.S. Servas, Inc., a peace organization, they met and lived with families in many countries.

Seward's 225-acre farm in Calais was enrolled for many years in the American Tree Farm Program. He loved the land and spent much of his time mowing fields, gardening, maintaining trails, harvesting fuel wood, snowshoeing and skiing. He cared deeply about Vermont's rural landscape and land conservation. In 1998, he and Susan donated a conservation easement on their acreage to the Vermont Land Trust.

He is survived by his wife, Susan Bartlett; a daughter, Sarah Weber Garfield of Pittsford, N.Y.; a son, Benjamin Bartlett Weber of Burlington; four grandchildren; two nieces; and six nephews.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Vermont Natural Resources Council, the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Audubon or the American Friends Service Committee.

Friends are invited to a service of remembrance at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier.