After conferring with God following my death, I am deeply grateful and humbled to be relocated by His grace and love to heaven on January 18, 2026, at the age of 89.

My celebration of life is scheduled for March 7th, 2026, at 1 pm. There will be a visitation with family an hour prior to that at 12 noon at the Miller Southside Chapel, 7400 S. Minnesota Avenue, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57108.

I was born Richard Kenneth Seaman on September 12, 1936, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  During my early childhood, I resided with my mother and father. In subsequent years, I was joined by my sister, Lynne Carol, and my brother, Ronald Stewart. We lived in Long Island, New York, for a period, followed by three years in Salina, Kansas, before returning to Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. I entered junior high school in 1949 and graduated from Edina High School in 1955. While a student, I was privileged to be elected student council president in both junior and senior high school. I loved public speaking, theatre, and playing trumpet, piano, and later baritone horn in the school marching band.  Academics took a back seat until I realized in my early college years that if I did not make focusing on them a priority, I would not achieve my goal in life, which at the time was to become an ordained pastor.

I attended the University of Minnesota, receiving an undergraduate degree in 1958, and later, by the grace of God, I completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and a bachelor's degree in theology at Yankton College in 1962. I married Beverly Rosene of St. Paul in 1960, and we moved into student housing at Yankton College, where one year later our family grew by two daughters, twins Victoria Lynne and Brenda Lee. During college, I served the Alcester Congregational Church until moving to Minneapolis in 1962 to enter The United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, where I received my divinity degree in 1966.

During seminary, I served as assistant pastor of the Mizpah Congregational Church in Hopkins, Minnesota. I was ordained in June 1966 at Edina Morningside Congregational Church, my home church. I received a call to serve the Crestwood Congregational Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (now named Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ), from 1966 to 1972. During this time, we welcomed a son, Scott Richard, in December 1967. After a period of soul searching and considerable sadness, I decided to leave the parish ministry to work with people in a different environment and in a different way. I was young, idealistic, and had a great deal to learn both personally and professionally. Our children were still young enough to make that kind of change in their lives and were probably more adaptable than their mother and me.

After saying goodbye to the people of Crestwood, we spent the summer living out of two campers adjacent to each other in the Black Hills of South Dakota at a resort named Palmer Gulch, with new management who happened to be members of Crestwood. This was a timeout that created opportunities for my young family to have many experiences. We moved there just days following the massive flood of 1972, and we saw much of the destruction and loss.

We subsequently moved to Brookings, South Dakota, and South Dakota State University, where I pursued a master's degree in counselor education, graduating in 1973. My young family then moved to Sioux Falls in 1975, where I joined the staff of Family Service as a counselor and director of Family Life Education until 1984. During my tenure, I was honored to be part of the first team trained to implement the first Domestic Abuse Project in the Sioux Falls area.  I co-developed a stress management program for the Sioux Falls Police Department in 1976 and served as counselor, consultant, and trainer for seven years.

In 1984, a friend/colleague and I co-founded Mental Health Associates, the first freestanding private counseling practice in the community.  In 1990, I became the sole owner and remained so until my retirement. I was privileged, over many years, to have, in addition to my partner, several colleagues join me in what was to be a group practice for 20 years. I opened a satellite office in Brookings, serving that community for fifteen years with a colleague. I practiced solo from early 2000 until June 1, 2016, when I turned in the key for the final day, some 40 years since the beginning.  I was passionate about my work with people and deeply cared about each person who walked through my office door. I was privileged to serve on the board of Dow Rummel Village during my earlier years as a pastor and, later, on the Development and Steering Committee, planning the expansion of facilities and services in the early 2000s.  I also volunteered my counseling skills to the residents and staff until the close of my practice, after which I continued to work part-time for three more years.

I was also privileged to serve on the board of Connections, Inc., and to provide and consult to employees and employers.  I served on the board of The Center for Equality for six years and the South Dakota chapter of the National Parkinson's Foundation for six years, during which I served as interim president for 1.5 years.  I provided leadership for a support group at Dow Rummell Village for people living with Parkinson's as well as Multiple Sclerosis.

I loved to spend time with my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, especially when it was one-on-one. I loved the outdoors, whether it was camping, hiking, canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, riding my bike, seeking a new adventure, or sitting across from a friend.

On my 70th birthday, my original counseling practice partner and I skydived for the first time, followed by riding the entire Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills with my son-in-law, Scott Jorgensen.  Just before my 78th birthday, I climbed Harney Peak for the fourth time with my son-in-law and two oldest grandsons, Casey and Nick.  They were delighted to introduce me to four-wheeling.

While all the above is important, honesty in one's life is equally important and needs to be included as well. I was an imperfect man who made mistakes, some more hurtful than others.  Relationships were important to me, and grievous errors were made, some of which resulted in the loss of those relationships. Others slipped away over time, for reasons known and unknown. Where possible, I have attempted to make amends; where not, I have continued to grieve and, in some cases, have been able to let go.

I am preceded in death by my mother, Velma, and my father, Kenneth.  I am survived by two daughters, Victoria Lynne (Scott) Jorgensen of Sioux Falls; Brenda Grant of Sioux Falls; son Scott Richard (Rumi) Seaman of Vienna, Virginia; sister Lynne Mall of Bloomington, Minnesota; brother Ron Seaman of Minneapolis; niece Nicole (Mark) Larson of New Brighton, Minnesota, and their daughter Ava; nephew Ryan Seaman of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  I am also survived by, and blessed with grandson Casey (Quinn) Jorgensen of Lennox, South Dakota; grandson Nick (Cassi) Jorgensen of Kennebec, South Dakota; grandson Duggan Grant of Scottsdale, Arizona; granddaughter Jordanna Grant of Frisco, Colorado; granddaughter Kiarra (Taylor) Magnus of Frisco, Colorado; granddaughter Aila Seaman of Vienna, Virginia; granddaughter Eliina Seaman of Vienna, Virginia; great grandson Tyler Jorgensen of Lennox, South Dakota; great grandson Gabe Beman of Lennox, South Dakota; great granddaughter Charlee Jorgensen of Lennox, South Dakota; great granddaughter Riley Jorgensen of Kennebec, South Dakota; great granddaughter Mackenzie Jorgensen of Kennebec, South Dakota; great granddaughter Emery Jorgensen of Kennebec, South Dakota; and last, but not least, great grandson Chance Jorgensen of Kennebec, South Dakota.

My family and I request no flowers and ask that any memorial gifts be donated to the charity of your choice or to the American Heart Association, Sioux Falls Chapter of the American Cancer Society, or the South Dakota Chapter of the National Parkinson's Foundation.

P.S.  My four favorite books: "The Singing Wilderness", "Tuesdays with Morrie", "Wild at Heart", and "If Only I knew".