Seth Adams Jr.

Longtime Gunnison resident Seth Adams Jr. passed away on Sept. 18. He was born Dec. 30, 1931 in Hamlin, Texas. He had two older sisters, one older brother and one younger brother. All preceded him in death except for sister Jane Cannon of Dallas, Texas. Seth grew up on a dry cotton farm. As a young man, he was very successful in sports — one of the only Hamlin High School students in his day to receive a scholarship to play football at Abilene Christian College. He played there for two years before transferring to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, N.M., where he also played for two years. While in Portales, Seth met Dona Keeling. They married, and that union produced three children — Allison Jones, Greg Adams and Seth Adams III, all of Gunnison. Seth had two grand kids, Cale and Ry Adams, both sons of Greg. Seth also served two years in the Army, stationed in Washington state. After college, Seth began coaching football and basketball while teaching high school science in southern New Mexico and Texas. He was proud of seeing his students involved in science and was successful in getting them to the National Science Fair with their projects. He also produced conference-winning football and basketball teams. After teaching highschool, he moved the family to Stillwater, Okla., where he received his master’s and doctorate degrees in biology from Oklahoma State University. Seth moved the family again to serve a short tenure at Fort Hays State University in Kansas for two years as a biology professor. In 1968, he accepted a position at Western State College, where he would teach for the next 30 years. At Western, he was the sponsor of the Theta Chi fraternity and an avid supporter of Western athletics. Seth and Dona enjoyed traveling with friends and on their own, including to such locations as Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Fiji and Mexico. Dona preceded Seth in death from Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2005, prior to which Seth was her caregiver. Activities Seth enjoyed included fishing, hunting, reading, gardening and spending time with his grandkids. He started big-game hunting at the age of 55 as a bowhunter before later turning to muzzleloading. He hunted until he was 70 years old. He loved to pick mushrooms and would frequently point out various species of fl ora and fauna to those accompanying him in the wild. Seth was loved by many and was a fantastic teacher. He requested private graveside services with close friends and family to be held at the Gunnison Cemetery.