Norman Seymour, 88

Norman Seymour, 88, died Sept. 5, 2010, at Kootenai Medical Center. He was born in Alhambra, Calif., the youngest child of Thomas and Lucie Steinbrecher Seymour on Sept. 25, 1921. He eloped at age 19 with Louise Biswell and they had two daughters, Janice and Julie. She died in 1989.

He fell in love with tool making at age 10, when his father was getting something tooled. His father also raised rabbits, which he said, "we did not eat," and but he fed. They were used for pregnancy tests, which he did not understand. During the war, at his physical, he was told, "Son, the Army does not need you." He was put to work at a government tool shop, just what he liked, in charge of lots of ladies.

For several years he owned a flower shop. Even in later years, (even though he was blind) he could tell his wife how to arrange flowers and what they were.

In 1954, living in Whittier, Calif., he tooled a 5 cubic inch miniature V-8 engine. It had a 15/16 inch bore, 7/8 inch stroke. He made most of the parts and was on the front cover of Poplar Mechanics. Made many friends nation wide.

Learning jewelry repair in high school, and as long as his sight held, he repaired and designed jewelry. His father, worked summers at Lake Tahoe, and he said, he met Shirley Temple, she was just a little kid. As an adult he spent vacations in Tahoe. Neighbors of his family was Norman Rockwell and his sister was the Rockwell's nanny. He was always so proud that his sister Dorothy was on the front cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1935.

In the mid-60s, he was tired of the city and the smog and moved to Idaho. His daughters always said, it was Dad who left home. He eventually started with friends the company Keytronic in Spokane as a tool maker. He retired from Keytronic in 1980 because of his eyesight.

He celebrated his 80th birthday, by compiling the Seymour/Steinbrecher family histories with 8-by-10 photos and made albums for the remaining 25 family members. As much as possible his wife, Kay took pictures with him, for their individual family album.

He married Frances Pendry in 1992 and she died in 1996. He married Kay Kalidja of Missoula on Feb. 12, 2000. Her sister, Rev. Shelley Aakre was the minister. In spite, of his macular degeneration, he bought a riding lawn mower, mowed and plowed. He enjoyed visiting with his wife's children who visited often, to work on the garage, the deck and the garden. His wife's Japanese friend Kazuyo came to visit and both were surprised as she worked on the same machine, that he had tooled.

His wife, had a M and M picture on the wall, small children's height. To his delight, her grandchildren showed him how to twist the handle to get M and M's. He would sneak down the hallway, surely no one could see him, and he would get a handful of M and M's. They will miss their Grandpa.

Preceded in death, his parents; two brothers, John and Arthur; two sisters, Dorothy Guida and Phyllis Gaunt.

He is survived by his wife, Kay Kalidja of Hayden; his daughters, Janice Seymour of Chatsworth, Calif., and Julie Vierling of Beaverton, Ore.; three grand daughters, Stacey Fulenwider of Denver, Leisa Vierling and Kara Vierling of Portland, Ore.; and great-granddaughter, Sophie Eastman of Portland; a nephew, Art Seymour of Nevada, who called and visited his Uncle often, of tool making and old times; two nieces Barbara Douglas of Oregon and Aileen Frost of Washington; nine step-children, Kermit Johnston, Vickie Albaugh, Cedric Johnston, Joy Waldbauer, Justin Johnston, Skye Young, Cody Johnston, Niaobi Wilber and Hope Bowler; 35 step-grandchildren and six step-great-grandchildren.

Jack Mavity of Beaverton, Ore., will miss his high school buddy as they spent many good times camping and vacations as adults. Bill Tapper of Dalton Gardens, who was his driver, after he could no longer drive to work, was a dear friend, like a brother and was always there in any time of need.