Melvin Frank Seeley, Jr., 80, of Rocky Ford, Colo., passed away March 15, 2010 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He was born Jan. 12, 1930 in La Junta, Colo., to Melvin Frank Seeley Sr., and Avesta Beatrice Vahldick Seeley. He was raised by his grandparents, George and Lottie Vahldick in Rocky Ford, Colo., on Patterson Valley Road.

Bud was a 1947 graduate of Rocky Ford High School. One fond memory of his classmates was watching Bud deliver newspapers on horseback when the snow got too deep for him to ride his bike. Bud worked at the Rocky Ford Sugar Factory campaigns for many years and served in the Army Corps of Engineers in Japan.

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In 1953 he wed MaDonna Kirton. They raised five children together. Bud served on the Rocky Ford Police Force for two years before moving his family to Granby, Colo., in 1968. There he ranched and ran a horse program for the Camp Chief Ouray YMCA. It was the perfect place for he and MaDonna to raise their five children … and then some. They seemed to gather more kids along the way as people from camp adopted Bud and MaDonna as parents. Many still think of them in this light. At Bud’s funeral, Dusty Pierce of Pagosa Springs, Colo., said, “My parents ran away from home because I was a bad kid, but Bud and MaDonna loved me and have always been my folks for all these years.”

Bud’s lifelong dream was to be a rancher. He always said he wanted to have 100 horses. At one time he had 98 and decided that was close enough. One of Bud’s fondest memories from his time at the Camp was spending a long, cold winter building a chuck wagon with his boys. It was a thing of beauty when pulled by a team of horses. Bud and MaDonna utilized it for many chuck wagon dinners and breakfasts.

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When the YMCA combined the Camp Chief Ouray Youth Camp with the Snow Mountain Family Camp, the ranch was sold. Bud and MaDonna moved back to Rocky Ford, Colo., with a few of their younger children in 1977. The chuck wagon that Bud and his boys built still sits at the entrance of Camp Chief Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Once back in Rocky Ford, Colo., Bud and MaDonna raised hogs for a while. In later years, he tended to his garden and yard, turning it into a beautiful oasis.

He is survived by his wife of the family home; daughter, Trish (Steve) Woodman of Littleton, Colo; four sons, Rick (Martina) Hadley, George (Peggy) Seeley, and Lloyd (Norma) Seeley, all of Brownfield, Tex., and Kenneth (Patty) Seeley of Rocky Ford, Colo.; brother, Norman (Jeannie) Seeley of Aurora, Colo.; sister, Charlene Noble of Cuero, Tex.; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; dear friends Lois and Gene Smith also survive.

Services were held March 18, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Rocky Ford, Colo.

Interment was in the Chapels Hills Memorial Gardens in Denver, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to YMCA of Denver and Camp Chief Ouran.

Melvin Frank Seeley, Jr., 80, of Rocky Ford, Colo., passed away March 15, 2010 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He was born Jan. 12, 1930 in La Junta, Colo., to Melvin Frank Seeley Sr., and Avesta Beatrice Vahldick Seeley. He was raised by his grandparents, George and Lottie Vahldick in Rocky Ford, Colo., on Patterson Valley Road.

Bud was a 1947 graduate of Rocky Ford High School. One fond memory of his classmates was watching Bud deliver newspapers on horseback when the snow got too deep for him to ride his bike. Bud worked at the Rocky Ford Sugar Factory campaigns for many years and served in the Army Corps of Engineers in Japan.

In 1953 he wed MaDonna Kirton. They raised five children together. Bud served on the Rocky Ford Police Force for two years before moving his family to Granby, Colo., in 1968. There he ranched and ran a horse program for the Camp Chief Ouray YMCA. It was the perfect place for he and MaDonna to raise their five children … and then some. They seemed to gather more kids along the way as people from camp adopted Bud and MaDonna as parents. Many still think of them in this light. At Bud’s funeral, Dusty Pierce of Pagosa Springs, Colo., said, “My parents ran away from home because I was a bad kid, but Bud and MaDonna loved me and have always been my folks for all these years.”

Bud’s lifelong dream was to be a rancher. He always said he wanted to have 100 horses. At one time he had 98 and decided that was close enough. One of Bud’s fondest memories from his time at the Camp was spending a long, cold winter building a chuck wagon with his boys. It was a thing of beauty when pulled by a team of horses. Bud and MaDonna utilized it for many chuck wagon dinners and breakfasts.

When the YMCA combined the Camp Chief Ouray Youth Camp with the Snow Mountain Family Camp, the ranch was sold. Bud and MaDonna moved back to Rocky Ford, Colo., with a few of their younger children in 1977. The chuck wagon that Bud and his boys built still sits at the entrance of Camp Chief Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Once back in Rocky Ford, Colo., Bud and MaDonna raised hogs for a while. In later years, he tended to his garden and yard, turning it into a beautiful oasis.

He is survived by his wife of the family home; daughter, Trish (Steve) Woodman of Littleton, Colo; four sons, Rick (Martina) Hadley, George (Peggy) Seeley, and Lloyd (Norma) Seeley, all of Brownfield, Tex., and Kenneth (Patty) Seeley of Rocky Ford, Colo.; brother, Norman (Jeannie) Seeley of Aurora, Colo.; sister, Charlene Noble of Cuero, Tex.; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; dear friends Lois and Gene Smith also survive.

Services were held March 18, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Rocky Ford, Colo.

Interment was in the Chapels Hills Memorial Gardens in Denver, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to YMCA of Denver and Camp Chief Ouran.

Melvin Frank Seeley, Jr., 80, of Rocky Ford, Colo., passed away March 15, 2010 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He was born Jan. 12, 1930 in La Junta, Colo., to Melvin Frank Seeley Sr., and Avesta Beatrice Vahldick Seeley. He was raised by his grandparents, George and Lottie Vahldick in Rocky Ford, Colo., on Patterson Valley Road.

Bud was a 1947 graduate of Rocky Ford High School. One fond memory of his classmates was watching Bud deliver newspapers on horseback when the snow got too deep for him to ride his bike. Bud worked at the Rocky Ford Sugar Factory campaigns for many years and served in the Army Corps of Engineers in Japan.

In 1953 he wed MaDonna Kirton. They raised five children together. Bud served on the Rocky Ford Police Force for two years before moving his family to Granby, Colo., in 1968. There he ranched and ran a horse program for the Camp Chief Ouray YMCA. It was the perfect place for he and MaDonna to raise their five children … and then some. They seemed to gather more kids along the way as people from camp adopted Bud and MaDonna as parents. Many still think of them in this light. At Bud’s funeral, Dusty Pierce of Pagosa Springs, Colo., said, “My parents ran away from home because I was a bad kid, but Bud and MaDonna loved me and have always been my folks for all these years.”

Bud’s lifelong dream was to be a rancher. He always said he wanted to have 100 horses. At one time he had 98 and decided that was close enough. One of Bud’s fondest memories from his time at the Camp was spending a long, cold winter building a chuck wagon with his boys. It was a thing of beauty when pulled by a team of horses. Bud and MaDonna utilized it for many chuck wagon dinners and breakfasts.

When the YMCA combined the Camp Chief Ouray Youth Camp with the Snow Mountain Family Camp, the ranch was sold. Bud and MaDonna moved back to Rocky Ford, Colo., with a few of their younger children in 1977. The chuck wagon that Bud and his boys built still sits at the entrance of Camp Chief Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Once back in Rocky Ford, Colo., Bud and MaDonna raised hogs for a while. In later years, he tended to his garden and yard, turning it into a beautiful oasis.

He is survived by his wife of the family home; daughter, Trish (Steve) Woodman of Littleton, Colo; four sons, Rick (Martina) Hadley, George (Peggy) Seeley, and Lloyd (Norma) Seeley, all of Brownfield, Tex., and Kenneth (Patty) Seeley of Rocky Ford, Colo.; brother, Norman (Jeannie) Seeley of Aurora, Colo.; sister, Charlene Noble of Cuero, Tex.; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; dear friends Lois and Gene Smith also survive.

Services were held March 18, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Rocky Ford, Colo.

Interment was in the Chapels Hills Memorial Gardens in Denver, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to YMCA of Denver and Camp Chief Ouran.

Melvin Frank Seeley, Jr., 80, of Rocky Ford, Colo., passed away March 15, 2010 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He was born Jan. 12, 1930 in La Junta, Colo., to Melvin Frank Seeley Sr., and Avesta Beatrice Vahldick Seeley. He was raised by his grandparents, George and Lottie Vahldick in Rocky Ford, Colo., on Patterson Valley Road.

Bud was a 1947 graduate of Rocky Ford High School. One fond memory of his classmates was watching Bud deliver newspapers on horseback when the snow got too deep for him to ride his bike. Bud worked at the Rocky Ford Sugar Factory campaigns for many years and served in the Army Corps of Engineers in Japan.

In 1953 he wed MaDonna Kirton. They raised five children together. Bud served on the Rocky Ford Police Force for two years before moving his family to Granby, Colo., in 1968. There he ranched and ran a horse program for the Camp Chief Ouray YMCA. It was the perfect place for he and MaDonna to raise their five children … and then some. They seemed to gather more kids along the way as people from camp adopted Bud and MaDonna as parents. Many still think of them in this light. At Bud’s funeral, Dusty Pierce of Pagosa Springs, Colo., said, “My parents ran away from home because I was a bad kid, but Bud and MaDonna loved me and have always been my folks for all these years.”

Bud’s lifelong dream was to be a rancher. He always said he wanted to have 100 horses. At one time he had 98 and decided that was close enough. One of Bud’s fondest memories from his time at the Camp was spending a long, cold winter building a chuck wagon with his boys. It was a thing of beauty when pulled by a team of horses. Bud and MaDonna utilized it for many chuck wagon dinners and breakfasts.

When the YMCA combined the Camp Chief Ouray Youth Camp with the Snow Mountain Family Camp, the ranch was sold. Bud and MaDonna moved back to Rocky Ford, Colo., with a few of their younger children in 1977. The chuck wagon that Bud and his boys built still sits at the entrance of Camp Chief Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Once back in Rocky Ford, Colo., Bud and MaDonna raised hogs for a while. In later years, he tended to his garden and yard, turning it into a beautiful oasis.

He is survived by his wife of the family home; daughter, Trish (Steve) Woodman of Littleton, Colo; four sons, Rick (Martina) Hadley, George (Peggy) Seeley, and Lloyd (Norma) Seeley, all of Brownfield, Tex., and Kenneth (Patty) Seeley of Rocky Ford, Colo.; brother, Norman (Jeannie) Seeley of Aurora, Colo.; sister, Charlene Noble of Cuero, Tex.; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; dear friends Lois and Gene Smith also survive.

Services were held March 18, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Rocky Ford, Colo.

Interment was in the Chapels Hills Memorial Gardens in Denver, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to YMCA of Denver and Camp Chief Ouran.

Melvin Frank Seeley, Jr., 80, of Rocky Ford, Colo., passed away March 15, 2010 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He was born Jan. 12, 1930 in La Junta, Colo., to Melvin Frank Seeley Sr., and Avesta Beatrice Vahldick Seeley. He was raised by his grandparents, George and Lottie Vahldick in Rocky Ford, Colo., on Patterson Valley Road.

Bud was a 1947 graduate of Rocky Ford High School. One fond memory of his classmates was watching Bud deliver newspapers on horseback when the snow got too deep for him to ride his bike. Bud worked at the Rocky Ford Sugar Factory campaigns for many years and served in the Army Corps of Engineers in Japan.

In 1953 he wed MaDonna Kirton. They raised five children together. Bud served on the Rocky Ford Police Force for two years before moving his family to Granby, Colo., in 1968. There he ranched and ran a horse program for the Camp Chief Ouray YMCA. It was the perfect place for he and MaDonna to raise their five children … and then some. They seemed to gather more kids along the way as people from camp adopted Bud and MaDonna as parents. Many still think of them in this light. At Bud’s funeral, Dusty Pierce of Pagosa Springs, Colo., said, “My parents ran away from home because I was a bad kid, but Bud and MaDonna loved me and have always been my folks for all these years.”

Bud’s lifelong dream was to be a rancher. He always said he wanted to have 100 horses. At one time he had 98 and decided that was close enough. One of Bud’s fondest memories from his time at the Camp was spending a long, cold winter building a chuck wagon with his boys. It was a thing of beauty when pulled by a team of horses. Bud and MaDonna utilized it for many chuck wagon dinners and breakfasts.

When the YMCA combined the Camp Chief Ouray Youth Camp with the Snow Mountain Family Camp, the ranch was sold. Bud and MaDonna moved back to Rocky Ford, Colo., with a few of their younger children in 1977. The chuck wagon that Bud and his boys built still sits at the entrance of Camp Chief Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Once back in Rocky Ford, Colo., Bud and MaDonna raised hogs for a while. In later years, he tended to his garden and yard, turning it into a beautiful oasis.

He is survived by his wife of the family home; daughter, Trish (Steve) Woodman of Littleton, Colo; four sons, Rick (Martina) Hadley, George (Peggy) Seeley, and Lloyd (Norma) Seeley, all of Brownfield, Tex., and Kenneth (Patty) Seeley of Rocky Ford, Colo.; brother, Norman (Jeannie) Seeley of Aurora, Colo.; sister, Charlene Noble of Cuero, Tex.; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; dear friends Lois and Gene Smith also survive.

Services were held March 18, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Rocky Ford, Colo.

Interment was in the Chapels Hills Memorial Gardens in Denver, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to YMCA of Denver and Camp Chief Ouran.