Irene D Seaman

Irene Dorothy Seaman, 100, passed away peacefully in Sarasota, Florida on August 13, 2023. She was born on December 18, 1922 to Marie and Charles Sax in Akron, OH, and was one of four children. When she was eleven, her father died suddenly leaving her mother alone to raise her and her younger sister. Her mother struggled to make ends meet, but made sure she and her younger sister finished school. In her own words, she described her mother as honest, loving, and courageous and was forever grateful for that opportunity. Nonetheless, Irene started working when she was sixteen to help her mother. When she was twenty-one, she met the love of her life, the late Norman R. Seaman and they were married on July 4, 1944. Together with five children in tow, they had many adventures traveling the world by car, air, and sea. Their most notable trait was their entrepreneurial spirit. Beginning in the late 1940s, they co-founded many businesses from an ice cream truck in Los Angeles to what is known today as Seaman Corporation, originally founded in Millersburg, Ohio. At Seaman Corporation, she meticulously managed all the finances of the company and engaged in business dealings across the world. Even as recently as a few weeks ago, when she overheard a conversation about payroll, she laughed and said, “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore.” According to her personal writings, she was proud that they hired many women, and she fought fearlessly for the business over the years after Norman died. She was extraordinarily proud of their work and their people. Each of her children worked for the family business, and each employee became family. In 1965, they moved to Sarasota, Florida and opened up a local division of the company. She called Sarasota her home from then on.

Irene was a tough, honest, courageous, classy, and spicy woman who was always impeccably dressed. Not a speck of dust or wrinkle went unnoticed, and she wasn’t afraid to let you know. She loved her gin martinis and was most recently perplexed by chocolate vodka, which she learned of while perusing the Total Wine insert in the paper. She was one of the earliest members of the Sarasota Yacht Club, where her family spent many holidays and birthdays over the decades. Irene had a sense of humor that blossomed in her later years and kept generations laughing until the end. She lived a generous life, was a wonderful teacher, friend, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and her spirited laugh will be missed.

She leaves behind her five children, Richard (Judy), Donald, David (Lee), Linda (Michael), and Diana (Michael); ten grandchildren, Carrie, Kimberly, Eric, Darbi, Derra, Ryan, Evan, Kaycia, Jason, and Travis; fourteen great-grandchildren, Jessica, Kylie, Iliana, Max, Madison, Blair, Hudson, Colton, Andi, Kate, Maya, Ani, Sophie, and Jet; her sister Genevive; many extended family members; and her dear, close friend and partner in crime, Lorna.

The family would like to thank the wonderful people at Aviva Senior Living for their compassionate and consistent care. In lieu of flowers, please offer donations to Aviva Senior Living, Irene D. Seaman, Fund for Caregivers.

A funeral service for Irene will be held Saturday, August 19, 2023 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 2506 Gulf Gate Dr, Sarasota, FL 34231. Following the funeral service will be a committal service from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Sarasota Memorial Park, 5833 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmsrobartsfuneralhome.com for the Seaman family.