Donald James Seifert

Donald J. Seifert died peacefully on December 21, 2023. Services will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at Curé of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, KS. Visitation will be from 9:00 am to 10:00 am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial beginning at 10:00 am. Interment will follow at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, 8300 Quivira Road, Lenexa, KS.

Don was born on December 10, 1924, in Parsons, Kansas to Charles A. Seifert and Clara A. Schopp Seifert. He is preceded in death by his wife, Martha Jo, his parents, and his three older brothers: William Harold (Ben), Charles Theodore, and Earl Vincent. He is survived by his five children: Jane, Susan (Mark Stern), Carol (David Weiner), Dan (Catherine Schneider) and John (Carolyn Yialouris); his grandchildren—David and Sadye Stern, and Nicholas Seifert; and his step-grandchildren—Catherine Elvert, Brenda Willhite, and Grace Yialouris; and many nieces and nephews.

After graduation from Parsons High School in 1943, Don joined the U.S. Navy and was sent to the University of Notre Dame to participate in the Naval V-12 Program. He graduated from the program in March 1946 with a degree in Naval Science as well as a commission in the U.S. Navy. Don continued his service for another year aboard a Naval cargo ship, hauling men and materials throughout many parts of Asia and the Pacific, including China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Johnston Island, Guam, Hawaii, Kodiak Island, and Alaska. On an East Coast tour of duty, known as “the cruise,” Don’s ports-of-call included Bermuda, Newport, Rhode Island, Maine, and Quebec. He subsequently returned to Notre Dame and received a second degree in mechanical engineering in January 1949.

Don met his wife, the former Martha Jo Guenin of Elyria, Ohio, at St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame. They were married in August 1948. Don and Martha Jo lived for 11 years in Buffalo NY, where Don worked for American Standard as a mechanical engineer with Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning (HVAC) expertise. In 1960, and four children later, the family relocated to Leawood, KS, where Don started his own business in the VFW Building in downtown Kansas City, MO as a sales representative for the Buffalo Forge Company. He introduced the 82-yr-old manufacturer of air handling and industrial fan equipment to a new region west of the Mississippi. After a successful 40-year career and sending his five kids through college, Don finally retired in April 1990.

Don enjoyed an active and enjoyable retirement, enhanced greatly by Martha Jo’s second career as travel agent. Don and Jo traveled the world together with family and many friends. He was an active member of the Engineers Club of Kansas City, Downtown Kansas City Rotary Club 13, Kansas City Notre Dame Club, and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Don was a lifelong tennis player and played in a weekly league until his late 80s. He originally took up tennis at age 7, playing barefoot on grass until the WPA built some regulation courts in Parsons. Don proceeded to become The Parson Sun Boys Tennis Champ for 4 years running, 1937-40. Don was a longtime member of the YMCA as well as a season ticket holder with the Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, Starlight Theatre, and Missouri Heritage Theatre. He attended many annual Notre Dame University alumni events through the years, including annual reunions in South Bend, Indiana with the Notre Dame Classes of 1947 and ’49. Don was an avid train aficionado, frequently attended Parsons’ annual Katy Days celebrations, and actively supported the preservation of the Union Train Station in KC, Parsons Historical Museum, Iron Horse Museum, and Parsons Arboretum Visitor Center which is dedicated to his brother Earl.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either Curé of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, KS 66206 or the Rotary Club Youth Camp, P.O. Box 412457, Kansas City, MO 64141.