Robert Wayne Seerley was born October 6, 1930 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Don Anderson and Mary Helen Seerley. He died peacefully at home in Athens, Georgia on May 19, 2018, with family by his side. Services will be held at Tuckston United Methodist Church on May 24th at 11:00 a.m., with Reverend Jeanette Dickens and Reverend Bill Jackson officiating.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Norma R. Seerley. Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Andrews, a brother John Seerley and sister, Cindy Schabel, sons Don Allen Seerley (Faith Campbell) and Ronald Wayne Seerley (Anne Morrison), four grandchildren, Shelly Seerley Hauck (Nathan Hauck), Rob Seerley (Stephanie Sakoutis), Christy Seerley Dodson (Taylor Dodson), Ryan Seerley (Shannon Kratz Seerley) and four great grandchildren.
Bob grew up on a farm near Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Decatur Central High School in 1948 and Purdue University in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in Animal Husbandry. He was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and achieved national honors on Purdue's livestock judging team. First employment was at Purdue University in extension service for two years before joining the U. S. Marine Corps for two years. Michigan State University was the next stop to earn a master's degree (1957) and doctorate degree (1960) in animal nutrition.
After graduate school, he was on the faculty at South Dakota State University for seven years, then the University of Georgia in Animal Science for 23 years teaching and conducting research. His work was with undergraduate and graduate students and conducting and publishing research results. He achieved the creative research award at Georgia and was a Fellow in the American Society of Animal Science.
After the academic career, he and Norma formed Seerley Consultants, Inc. During university work and after, he had numerous consulting experiences in the states, Canada, Latin and South America, Asia, and Europe. They moved to Sun City West, AZ in 1994 where he was active in Desert Palms Presbyterian Church and several activities including silver crafting, lapidary, clay club, golf, and softball. He played sports in high school and generally enjoyed sports and travelling.
Bob returned to Athens, Georgia in 2016, after the death of his wife Norma, to be closer to family. He joined Tuckston United Methodist Church, participated in a mission trip to Brazil, and met Marilyn Andrews whom he married in October 2016. Together they shared their love of travel, missions, and Georgia football.
The family requests that memorials be given to the TUMC Building Fund or TUMC Mission Fund (Tuckston United Methodist Church, 4175 Lexington Rd., Athens GA 30605).
Service Details
Thursday, May 24th, 2018 11:00am, Tuckston United Methodist Church