Obituary of James Howard Seybert

James Howard (Jim) Seybert completed his earthly assignment on March 17, 2013 and was called Home after a brief episode of congestive heart failure. He was 85. Jim Seybert was born in Canton, Ohio to James T. And Katherine (Saunders) Seybert. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and when his hitch ended, he decided to stay in California because the weather was better than in Ohio. As a man who was seldom willing to accept "no" for an answer, Jim worked as a Motorman on San Francisco's cable cars in the early 1950s, despite being the shortest and smallest "grip" they'd ever hired. He attended classes at San Francisco State College and San Francisco Baptist Collage at the same time. In the Spring of 1953, Jim met (Juana) Arleen Coon and the couple were married in Salinas on August 21, 1953. Their first home was on Washington Street in San Francisco, so Jim could walk to work rather than drive his kelly-green painted car named Lazarus. It was at First Baptist Church in Salinas where he began to share his gift of a beautiful baritone voice in solos and choirs. Sacred music was a life-long passion and Jim served as a volunteer worship and choir leader in a number of churches, including Walnut Creek EV Free, Concord EV Free, Sun Valley Bible Chapel, and University Baptist. In the 1970s, Jim was asked to organize a secular choir made up of people employed by Pacific Telephone in the San Francisco region. Jim once again reached beyond his immediate grasp in 1955 when he tested for and landed an entry-level job at Pacific Telephone. Applicants were required to take an electronics exam. After a long weekend studying the unfamiliar subject, he passed. When supervisors questioned his ability to physically handle the heavy ladders used by co-workers, he proved them wrong and quickly rose through the ranks to become a team leader and supervisor. Jim, Arleen and Jim Jr (born in 1954) moved to Concord (CA) in 1960. He commuted into The City by bus and spent his weekends working in the yard of the couple's new home. While most of the neighbors had basic landscaping, the Seybert house had a pond with a waterfall, a rough-hewn wooden fence, and a circular flower and rock garden. The couple welcomed their second child Jennifer Lynn in 1962, and their third child John David in 1964. In 1964, Jim was given the responsibility of coordinating the massive installation of telephone equipment needed to support the Republican National Convention being held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The success of his work with the convention earned him a reputation for being good at managing special projects and he completed a number of them during his 35 year career. Jim, Arleen, Jennifer and John moved in 1975 from Concord to Mount Hermon (CA) when Jim was asked to join Pacific Telephone's management team in Santa Cruz. When Congressional action led to reorganization of the nation's phone system, he was assigned to an office in San Jose and commuted "over the hill" for 5 years until retiring in 1986. Retirement was an unfamiliar term for Jim and he quickly launched a second career as a licensed Fire Sprinkler Inspector and Installation Contractor by forming his own company, South Coast Fire Systems. His work included inspection of sprinkler systems in every Long's Drug Store in California. He logged thousands of miles driving to every store four times a year over a span of about 10 years. Jim had demonstrated a knack for photography while serving in the Air Corps, and through the influence of an uncle. As his contract with Long's began to phase out, he had more opportunity to perfect his photography skills and many of his prints hang in local stores, cafes and homes. Wildlife images were his favorites, and among these were shots taken around Grand Canyon National Park. After serving as a volunteer usher at weekend services for a while, Santa Cruz Bible Church asked Jim to join the staff in 1999 as Pastor of Care Ministries. He displayed his legendary sense of humor by remarking that the job would be "OK . . . If it weren't for all the old people." He was himself 71 at the time. His years at SCBC gave Jim a chance to exercise every one of his strengths in service of the Savior he'd met in 1948 while a young man at Mount Hermon. In typical Jim Seybert fashion, he dove headfirst into serving the church's older members by visiting them in hospitals, conducting memorial services, and organizing grief recovery programs. He was a Bible Study and Small Group Leader; helped develop an excellent bookstore and library on the SCBC campus; coordinated the usher team while the church expended rapidly during the 1990s; and most-recently, organized numerous trips and outings for the congregation's thriving seniors ministry. Jim loved to cook for people - the more the merrier. He never took himself too seriously - although he was very serious about the work he'd been given to do. Those who knew him well appreciated his devilish sense of humor and his tendency to drive on the upper edge of the speed limit. He was generous, always excited about some new idea and ready to say "yes" whenever and wherever he was needed. Jim is survived by Arleen Seybert, his wife of 59 years; three children - Jim, Jennifer (Stith) and John; and five grandchildren. Friends and family will dress casually as they gather to celebrate Jim's life at 12:30pm, Saturday, April 6th at Santa Cruz Bible Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to either Santa Cruz Bible Church, The Mount Hermon (CA) Association or The Grand Canyon Association. Gifts to Santa Cruz Bible Church should be marked "Jim Seybert Memorial Fund" and delivered to: Santa Cruz Bible Church - 440 Frederick St Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Gifts to The Grand Canyon Association can be sent to: Grand Canyon Association P.O. Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023. Please mark them "Jim Seybert Memorial" Gifts to Mount Hermon can be mailed to: Mount Hermon Association, P.O. Box 413, Mount Hermon, CA 95041. Please mark checks "Jim Seybert Memorial."