Robert "Bob" E Seikel

Robert E. “Bob” Seikel, 83, of Shawnee, OK, died Monday, November 07, 2016 in a local hospital. Services will be 10:00 a.m. Thursday, November 10, 2016 at the Central Church of Christ with Dwyane Dennis and Jimmie Hyde officiating.  Burial will follow in Dale Cemetery.  The family will be at the funeral home Wednesday evening from 5-8 p.m. to visit with friends and family.  Walker Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.  To sign the book or share memories on line, visit www.walkerfuneral.com.  Robert Eugene Seikel was born February 23, 1933, in a farmhouse north of Dale, Oklahoma to Leo V. and Opal (DuBoise) Seikel.  He had two younger brothers, Joe Frank Seikel and Neal DuBoise Seikel, and they were all very close in age.  Neal preceded him in death in 2000. Bob graduated from Dale High School in May 1951.  During his high school years he did farm labor work, such as baling alfalfa hay, gathering corn and harvesting wheat.  He worked one summer for the State Highway Department.  Bob was just out of high school when he worked as an aircraft electrician apprentice at Tinker AFB.  He worked at Tinker from September 1951 to April 1953, when he was drafted into the US Army.  He served from April 7, 1953 to April 6, 1955, during the Korean War.  He took Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  He had Infantry, Combat Engineer and Leadership Training.  Most of his service time was spent at Fort Campbell, KY, working in the Adjutant General’s Office and the Public Information Office.  Once back from the Army, Bob attended and graduated from Oklahoma University in January 1959.  While in college he worked in the Heating and Air-Conditioning business, installing units in homes and businesses.  After college he worked for about a year (1959-1960) for Mosteller, Fellers, Andrews, Snider, and Baggett Law Firm in Oklahoma City.  In 1960 he worked several months at the Hillcrest Osteopath Hospital in Oklahoma City.  He started to work with the Social Security Administration in November 1960.  He worked in the SSA offices in Oklahoma City twice, Tulsa, OK, Sherman, TX and Shawnee, Oklahoma, working for SSA a total of 38 ½ years.  Thirty-four years were in management with the last 30 years as Manager of the Shawnee office.  He retired in January 1998, with 41 years of total government service.  Over a span of 38 years with SSA, he received 11 awards, each with a bonus, for Outstanding Performance.  In 1979 he received a Service to Humanity Award from the Shawnee Jaycees, a Service Award from SRC School and Community in 1994, as well as a Certificate of Recognition for Service during the Korean and Cold War in 1998. On April 30, 1955 Bob married Charlotte Joan Hendrex in Oklahoma City.  They were married 53 years before she passed away May 29, 2008.  In 2012 Bob married Winona Morgan on December 4.  Bob had known Winona for a number of years, and they had been widowed for several years when they married. His hobbies included genealogy research, history, travel, and writing.  He wrote several books, including My Ancestors, My Family, and Me; Family Documents; About Face…Forward March; The Honor Roll; A History of the Central Church of Christ; Hidden Treasurers; Charlotte’s Saga; Rush to Victory, and a 2nd edition to About Face…Forward March.  He also wrote several short stories and poems. In the past, Bob was active as a Boy Scout (1945-1947), as a Scout Master (1969-1978), Little League Baseball coach (1970-1976), School Board Member for 19 years at South Rock Creek (1975-1994), Advisor Council of the Area Aging Office (1970-1990), served on the Mayors Council on Aging (1988-1998), and on the Board of Eldercare (1990-1993). Bob was currently an active member of the Lion’s Club, since 1964; the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, officer and member of the Pottawatomie County Genealogy Club, board member and officer of the Pottawatomie County Historical Society, charter and honorary present member of the Shawnee Police Foundation, board member of the Senior Citizens Center, and officer and board member in the Dale Alumni Association.  Bob was a member of the Dale Church of Christ when he was baptized in 1946 at the age of 13. He was a Bible School Teacher in congregations in Dale, Oklahoma City, and Shawnee.  He served as a Deacon at the S.W. 36th Church of Christ in Oklahoma City in 1959 and 1960.  He served as a substitute Bible School Teacher at the Travis Street Church of Christ in Sherman, TX, and had been a member of the Central Church of Christ in Shawnee since 1967. Survivors include his wife, Winona Seikel of the home; brother & sister-in-law: Joe & Teresa Seikel of Okla. City; four children: Jay Seikel and wife, Carla, of Tecumseh; Terri Seikel, Shawnee; Craig Seikel, Moore; and David Seikel, Shawnee.  Grandchildren: Shannon Cook & Steve Beaver, Brian Wittmann, Jason Seikel, and Adam Seikel and his wife Channing.  Great-Grandchildren: Faith Wittmann, Madison Cook, Haley Wittmann, Hannah Seikel, and Alyssa Wittmann, and due to arrive in February, his first great-grandson, Merritt Robert Seikel. He is also survived by step-children: Janita Luddeke, Maxanne Kline, Greg Morgan, Cheryl Richardson, and Jonathan Morgan.  And numerous other relatives and friends.