Obituary for Berthold "Bert" Seeholzer
Queensbury
Berthold “Bert” Seeholzer was born November 4, 1925 in Atlanta, GA.
He was predeceased by Grace Zittel Seeholzer, his beautiful wife of 71 years and Skip LaRose,
his son-in-law. He is survived by his four children Caroline, David (Vanessa), Steven
(Lynn), and Brian (Linda) as well as eleven grandchildren and eighteen great
grandchildren.
“I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein
This Einstein quote symbolizes all that Bert Seeholzer embodied. Bert was an avid
learner and teacher, frequently asking those around him to “make me brilliant.” His
greatest passions were to study a wide range of natural history topics and then share
what he learned, where even in his final days he was sharing his wonder at what he just
learned from a new nature documentary. He was lovingly known to don his “uniform”
(khaki shirt and pants affixed with patches from various parks) and conduct educational
sessions at venues as far away as the Davis Mountains in Texas and right in his own
backyard at Moreau Lake State Park. Principal subject materials included but were not
limited to: ornithology, geology, botany, astronomy, and more... One local elementary
school looked forward to a yearly wetlands field trip led by “Mr. and Mrs. Boggs”.
Mrs. Boggs was of course, Grace, his wife and best friend who shared his passion for
learning and adventure. Their bookshelves were filled with guides to identifying birds,
insects, rocks and fish along with the cultural history of all the places they visited
together, including all fifty states, all but two of the Canadian provinces, Australia, New
Zealand, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. One of their greatest delights was wilderness
canoeing in Northern Ontario, Canada. A bush pilot would drop them off with an
agreement to pick them up again at a set time and location (ex. 205 miles downriver, 17
days later). They also shared a deep spiritual life, becoming faithful church members of
local churches in the five communities they lived in. Bert served on the respective church
boards, committees and sang in the choirs.
In spite of leaving school in the 8th grade, Bert went on to be the Valedictorian of his
high school class and earned a degree in farm culture from Morrisville State
University. His professional career spanned multiple industries; he was a baker for the
US Navy during WWII in the Pacific theater, a dairy farmer in Central New York, he
found success as salesman and ultimately district manager for Suburban Propane.
During this time he was an active Rotarian, recorder player, choir member, fisherman,
naturalist and bird watcher. His family had the incredible opportunity of hosting many
different foreign exchange students from around the world.
In retirement Bert became a Literacy Volunteer. He was so proud of students who were
able to get their driver’s licenses, GED’s, or even fill out applications because he had
taught them how to read them. The Office of Aging even recognized his service with a
Lifetime Achievement Award. However, his retirement also brought with it the sadness of
watching his beloved wife Grace slowly drift into the mists of dementia. Her beloved
“Bud” embodied the marriage vow of “In sickness and in health” as he lovingly cared for
her, read her own diary entries from 40 years ago, and took over all of the aspects of
life. It was during this season that Bert befriended his Thursday (Meals on Wheels) girls
and enjoyed his 4:00 PM wine with his friends.
When Grace passed away in May of 2018, Bert suffered from a broken heart. His other
half was gone, and he felt lost without her. This is what took him from us on January 14,
2020.
The family would like to thank his “right hands”, his granddaughter, Denise and his
great-granddaughter, Maria for everything they did for Bert.
At Bert's request there will be no calling hours
A Graveside Service for Bert and Grace will be conducted at 2:30pm on Friday, May 28, 2021, at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.
A Memorial service for Berthold will be conducted at 10:30am on Saturday, May 29, 2021 at Harry J. Betar Jr. Recreational Park at Moreau Rec.
Arrangements are in the care of M.B. Kilmer Funeral Home 136 Main Street, South Glens Falls, NY 12803. To view Bert’s Book of Memories, please visit kilmerfuneralhome.com.
Berthold “Bert” Seeholzer was born November 4, 1925 in Atlanta, GA.
He was predeceased by Grace Zittel Seeholzer, his beautiful wife of 71 years and Skip LaRose,
his son-in-law. He is survived by his four children Caroline, David (Vanessa), Steven
(Lynn), and Brian (Linda) as well as eleven grandchildren and eighteen great
grandchildren.
“I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein
This Einstein quote symbolizes all that Bert Seeholzer embodied. Bert was an avid
learner and teacher, frequently asking those around him to “make me brilliant.” His
greatest passions were to study a wide range of natural history topics and then share
what he learned, where even in his final days he was sharing his wonder at what he just
learned from a new nature documentary. He was lovingly known to don his “uniform”
(khaki shirt and pants affixed with patches from various parks) and conduct educational
sessions at venues as far away as the Davis Mountains in Texas and right in his own
backyard at Moreau Lake State Park. Principal subject materials included but were not
limited to: ornithology, geology, botany, astronomy, and more... One local elementary
school looked forward to a yearly wetlands field trip led by “Mr. and Mrs. Boggs”.
Mrs. Boggs was of course, Grace, his wife and best friend who shared his passion for
learning and adventure. Their bookshelves were filled with guides to identifying birds,
insects, rocks and fish along with the cultural history of all the places they visited
together, including all fifty states, all but two of the Canadian provinces, Australia, New
Zealand, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. One of their greatest delights was wilderness
canoeing in Northern Ontario, Canada. A bush pilot would drop them off with an
agreement to pick them up again at a set time and location (ex. 205 miles downriver, 17
days later). They also shared a deep spiritual life, becoming faithful church members of
local churches in the five communities they lived in. Bert served on the respective church
boards, committees and sang in the choirs.
In spite of leaving school in the 8th grade, Bert went on to be the Valedictorian of his
high school class and earned a degree in farm culture from Morrisville State
University. His professional career spanned multiple industries; he was a baker for the
US Navy during WWII in the Pacific theater, a dairy farmer in Central New York, he
found success as salesman and ultimately district manager for Suburban Propane.
During this time he was an active Rotarian, recorder player, choir member, fisherman,
naturalist and bird watcher. His family had the incredible opportunity of hosting many
different foreign exchange students from around the world.
In retirement Bert became a Literacy Volunteer. He was so proud of students who were
able to get their driver’s licenses, GED’s, or even fill out applications because he had
taught them how to read them. The Office of Aging even recognized his service with a
Lifetime Achievement Award. However, his retirement also brought with it the sadness of
watching his beloved wife Grace slowly drift into the mists of dementia. Her beloved
“Bud” embodied the marriage vow of “In sickness and in health” as he lovingly cared for
her, read her own diary entries from 40 years ago, and took over all of the aspects of
life. It was during this season that Bert befriended his Thursday (Meals on Wheels) girls
and enjoyed his 4:00 PM wine with his friends.
When Grace passed away in May of 2018, Bert suffered from a broken heart. His other
half was gone, and he felt lost without her. This is what took him from us on January 14,
2020.
The family would like to thank his “right hands”, his granddaughter, Denise and his
great-granddaughter, Maria for everything they did for Bert.
At Bert's request there will be no calling hours
A Graveside Service for Bert and Grace will be conducted at 2:30pm on Friday, May 28, 2021, at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.
A Memorial service for Berthold will be conducted at 10:30am on Saturday, May 29, 2021 at Harry J. Betar Jr. Recreational Park at Moreau Rec.
Arrangements are in the care of M.B. Kilmer Funeral Home 136 Main Street, South Glens Falls, NY 12803. To view Bert’s Book of Memories, please visit kilmerfuneralhome.com.