Luise K. Seelbach passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Our Mom was an incredible person! Always putting others first, Mom’s welcoming smile was heartwarming. Amazingly, she kept smiling until her last days with us. She never wanted to be a burden and was determined to live independently especially as she grew older. Mom treasured time with family and friends; she especially enjoyed picnics and walks by the river, lunch with the ladies, or a round of cards. She was well known for her love of gardening, volunteering for many years with the Beatrix Farrand Gardening Club. She truly had a green thumb; whatever she touched bloomed beautifully. Her vegetable garden, flower beds, and house plants were beneidenswert (to be envied)!
Luise was daring and adventuresome. She was born on August 6, 1930, in Zeven, Germany, and was raised in a loving family with her sisters, Erica and Hanna. As a child, she dreamt of traveling the world and pursued that dream in her teen years. Her travels began at age 17 when she hitchhiked through the south of Germany with friends. At 18, she left home for France spending a year there as a housekeeper. She then moved to London where she worked caring for an elderly couple. Her initial journey to America was on rough seas; she traveled by boat for 10 days in stormy weather. In New York, she worked for a number of years as a nanny for Alan Funt from Candid Camera and then took on her dream job traveling the world as a flight attendant for Pan Am. Her love of travel stayed with her and in her later years she continued to return to Europe to visit with family and friends, spent many winters in Florida, traveled across Canada by bus, and went west to join friends on a white water rafting trip down the Colorado River.
Luise’s greatest joy was her life as a wife and mother. She married Bernard Seelbach on April 6, 1957. He was the love of her life and they were blessed with many happy years together. Together, they worked at the family business K.C. Seelbach Co., and later as dairy farmers in the Town of Clinton, NY. She raised four children and was always proud to talk about each of them. A humble person, Mom touched many lives with her beautiful smile and kind heart. Mom, you will be missed more than you realize!
Luise was predeceased by her husband Bernard, her parents Luise and Fritz Klindworth, and her sisters Erica Alvermann and Hanna Alvermann. She is survived by her children: Michael Seelbach and wife Debbie, Thomas Seelbach and wife Donna, Maggie Schimmelpfennig and husband Dieter (all of the Town of Clinton), and Heidi Seelbach (Hyde Park). She also leaves behind 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Beatrix Farrand Garden Association, 4097 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY 12538 in Luise’s name. Sympathy cards may be mailed to: Maggie Schimmelpfennig, 95 Rhynders Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580.
There will be a Memorial Service held at the Pleasant Plains Presbyterian Church, Staatsburg, NY, at 10:00am on Saturday, May 7, 2022. A reception will follow the service; all are welcome to join Luise’s family and friends in a celebration of her life. Burial will be at 12:30pm at Pleasant Plains Cemetery.
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