Joel D. Seymour

Joel Douglas Seymour passed away after an 8 year valiant battle with colon cancer on Friday, February 22, 2019. Visitation will be 4-7 PM Thursday, February 28, 2019 at Apfel Funeral Home. Funeral Service will be 10:30 AM Friday, March 1st at Trinity United Methodist Church with pastor Kelly Karges officiating. Burial will be in the Grand Island City Cemetery. In leu of flowers the family ask for memorials which may be made to the family for later designation.

Joel was born in Grand Island at St. Francis Hospital on Aug. 16, 1972 to Jerry and Carol (Turek) Seymour. Joel attended Seedling Mile, Barr Junior High and Grand Island High School. He graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1994 with a degree in Business. He was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity. In high school, he worked at Skagway and Fonner Park, which was fitting since he loved the place so much. In college, he worked at Beatrice Foods and Lincoln Janitorial. His first job out of school was Chief Industries for one year. Then he went to US Bank as an assistant to Connie Catheral. She taught Joel all she knew and was excellent at her job, which he carried on through his career. He transferred to US Bank in Omaha after a few years. He then worked for Piper Jaffrey which was sold to UBS. He met Tim Hammes and Mike Adams and they formed their own financial partnership at UBS. They were with UBS close to 20 years and enjoyed a successful partnership. Joel loved his work and his partners, and even when Joel was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, he continued to go to work every day even through his struggles and chemo treatments.

Joel loved sports, especially the Boston Red Sox, Dallas Cowboys and horseracing. He owned several horses with Monte Hehnke and others. One of their horses, Pretty Boy Pete, won a $25,000 race and set a track record at Horseman’s Park. He and his friends attended the last 20 years of the Breeder’s Cup and traveled to many major horse tracks across the country and Saratoga was his favorite. When he was single at these tracks, he and 3 friends, Tom Van Winkle, James Valdez and Jason Falldorf, called themselves the “Wolf Pack”.

Weddings came along and the “Wolf Pack” was no more. Along came Tera Van Winkle and after a secret 8 year courtship, they married in a small family wedding on July 21, 2017. Luckily Tera was as big as race fan as Joel and probably better at picking horses than him. Joel was lucky enough to gain two step-kids with his marriage to Tera: Betty Lou (a pug) and Crassus (a bulldog). He loved them and they loved him.

Joel was diagnosed with colon cancer one month after his mother passed in 2011. Joel had many years of chemotherapy, surgeries, treatments and was grateful for the wonderful care that he received at Methodist Hospital and their staff, including Dr. George Dittrick, Dr. Brett Hill, oncology nurse Mike Thompson and so many others who knew him so well. The last year and a half was tough for him and really took its toll but he was always positive and continued to work when he could.

Joel loved his nephew Xander and made a point to attend all plays, concerts and other activities. Joel was the one who coined the term XMan.

Joel is survived by his wife Tera (Van Winkle) Seymour, father Jerry Seymour, sister Marcy Baker and Ben Baker, nephew Xander Baker, in-laws Judy and Tom Van Winkle, brother-in-law Tom Van Winkle and wife Morgan, nieces Blake and Landry Van Winkle, sister-in-law Trish and Dan Swoboda, nieces Ashton and Alex Swoboda, aunts Sandi Wilson and Helen Seymour, numerous great aunts, uncles, cousins on both sides and great friends. He was preceded in death by his mother Carol Seymour, grandparents John and Neva Seymour, and Esther and Joseph Turek, uncles Bill Seymour, John Seymour, Lynn Wilson, Bert Yocum, and aunt Lorabelle Yocum.

He will be missed all who knew him. Joel would wish that you wore casual clothes and had a good time in his honor.