Mass of Christian Burial Funeral was held Tuesday, July 23, 2019, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, for Paul F. Seger, 80, of Atkinson, NE.
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Paul Francis Seger was born December 12, 1938 in Broken Bow, NE to Leo and Blanche (Bigelow) Seger, the second of four children.
The family moved to Atkinson and opened a new funeral home in 1941 in the A.T. Hart building. Paul attended St. Joseph’s School graduating in 1956. He finished his pre-mortuary science degree at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE.
Paul met the love of his life Karen Marie Kaup and they were married on February 27, 1960 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
To that union, eight children were born. Paul went on to mortuary school at the Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Chicago, IL graduating in 1961. He then returned home to work with his father in the business.
When his father passed away suddenly in 1962, Paul was left to care for his ailing mother, 2 sisters, 2 children, and many elderly aunts and uncles. He continued to care for his family showing them by example what it truly means to take care of family, friends, and his beloved Atkinson community.
Paul and Karen wanted to leave a lasting legacy to the community. In 2008, they created an endowed family fund to benefit future generations in Atkinson, Stuart, Antelope County and Elgin. Paul was a very compassionate man, helping and caring for people whenever he could.
Because of his large family, along with operating the funeral home, it became necessary to find other ways to provide for them.
Paul sold his funeral home in Butte, NE and used the money to buy his first farm ground east of Atkinson in 1967. He continued to grow the farm, expanding into a fertilizer company, a trucking company, and later added a sizeable cow/calf operation. He was able to accomplish this with the help of very dedicated family and friends. We say this because Paul never looked at the people who worked for him as employees. They were family to him! Paul loved people and had a great group of friends.
Paul served the community in many roles. He was a 26-year member of the Atkinson Fire Department, and he helped organize and was president of the Atkinson Ambulance Board.
Up until that time the ambulance was owned and operated by the funeral home but Paul saw the need for a more efficient way to get patients the care they needed. He was a charter member of the Atkinson Lions Club. He also belonged to the Knights of Columbus, Atkinson Development Corp., Sandhills Cattle Association, and the Nebraska Funeral Directors Association serving as secretary until his health forced him to resign that position. He also served on the Atkinson City Council for more than 30 years and the West Holt Hospital Board serving as director, officer, and President. Paul loved his church and was a lifelong member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and was president of the St. Joseph’s Cemetery Board for many years. One of his favorite pastimes was spending time with his friends at the Roadrunner where he was the “President” of the “College of Knowledge.”
Paul loved his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He was most happy when the parents would bring him the new “little ones” to snuggle and love! He was asked once if all the crying of the newborns made him nervous and he said with a smile, “No that noise means my family is growing!”
Paul passed away at his home on July 17, 2019 after an extended illness surrounded by his family. He is survived by his children, Sharon (Dave) Gossman, of Neligh, Patricia (Joseph) Skrdla, Leo (Vickie) Seger, Sandra (Harlan) Schrunk, all of Atkinson, Michele (Doug) Moser of Omaha, Peg (Schindler) (Ron) Wemhoff, of Norfolk, Tami (Joseph) Kaup of Norfolk, and Matthew Seger of Lake Elsinore, CA, 28 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren, sisters, Patty Callahan of Omaha, Margaret (Gary) Burkholder of Yutan, NE, and Mary Wagman of Atkinson; sisters-in-law; Phyllis (Marvin) Scholz of Stuart, NE, Florence Kaup, Judy (Gene) Steimle, Janet (Mike) Davis, Carol (Frank) Charvat all of Omaha, NE, and brother-in-law, Ralph Kaup of Atkinson.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Blanche Seger, wife Karen, son-in-law Mark Schindler and grandson Reid Miller.
