[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E348-E349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING MAYOR M. JANE SEEMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 2014

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember a dear 
friend, Mayor M. Jane Seeman, who selflessly served the Vienna, 
Virginia, community for more than a decade and passed away on February 
23, 2014, at the age of 76.
  Jane was born on June 1, 1937, in Hays, Kansas. She graduated from 
Fort Hays State University with a bachelor's degree in economics and 
business. While in college, she met her husband, Rodger, whom she 
married in 1959, and in 1968 the couple moved to Vienna so that Rodger 
could pursue a job with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  The Seemans shared a passion for public service, with Rodger serving 
on the Vienna Town Council for nearly two decades. When he passed away 
in 1996, his wife completed his unfinished term, going on to win two 
terms of her own before successfully running for Mayor in 2000. Jane 
was well-respected and much-admired by the Vienna community, winning 
reelection six times.
  While greatly involved in the community, Jane understood well the 
importance of enjoying life to its fullest. She was passionately 
devoted to her children and grandchildren and, as a travel enthusiast, 
made a point to include her family on her many ventures. Jane was a 
longtime sports fan, cheering on the Washington Nationals for many 
years. Of Jane's many commitments, perhaps her greatest was to her 
Christian faith, which motivated and sustained her throughout her life. 
She was a beloved member of the Vienna Presbyterian Church, which she 
attended for more than forty years.
  Jane's son, Bill, perhaps said it best when he declared that 76 years 
was hardly enough time for his mother. She will be sincerely missed by 
her family, friends, and the Vienna community, but her legacy will 
long-endure. While we mourn her loss, we also importantly celebrate the 
exemplary life of love, faith, and humble service by which we will 
always remember her.
  I submit the following article from the McLean Sun Gazette, which 
pays tribute to Jane's admirable life.

                             [Mar. 3, 2014]

          Vienna Mayor Eulogized for Devotion to Family, Town

                          (By Brian Trompeter)

       Vienna bade farewell to its longtime Mayor M. Jane Seeman 
     in a Feb. 28 funeral service that drew hundreds of people and 
     featured remembrances from her children and grandchildren.
       Seeman, 76, who had served on the Vienna Town Council since 
     late 1996 and as mayor since 2000, died of lung cancer Feb. 
     23.
       Mourners filled the lower sanctuary level and some of the 
     balcony area at Vienna Presbyterian Church, which Seeman had 
     attended since fall 1968.
       A broad swath of the Vienna community came to the service, 
     including Seeman's Vienna Town Council colleagues, some Board 
     of Supervisors members and at least one member of Congress.
       ``I think we shut down Vienna with all of us being here,'' 
     said Pastor Peter James.
       The mayor's daughter, Linda Colbert, said the family had 
     been inundated with messages from friends following her 
     mother's death and that those outpourings of support helped 
     the family cope with their loss.
       ``My mother was my best friend. She was also my first 
     friend,'' Colbert said. ``We always loved to talk to each 
     other.''
       The late mayor volunteered more than 3,000 hours of her 
     time at Patrick Henry Library and loved chatting with 
     patrons, asking them about the books they were turning in or 
     checking out.
       The mayor was keenly interested in people's lives and 
     dedicated to serving others and the town, Colbert said.
       ``She served because she wanted to, not for a pat on the 
     back or to be recognized,'' she said.
       Madena Jane Seeman was born June 1, 1937, in Hays, Kan., to 
     parents Madena and Herbert Seeman.
       The future mayor wrote for a newspaper in that town of 
     about 10,000 people, then attended Fort Hays State 
     University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in economics 
     and business. She met her future husband, Rodger, at the 
     university and married him on June 1, 1959.
       Seeman became a rabid fan of the University of Kansas 
     Jayhawks while the couple lived in Lawrence, Kan. The Seemans 
     later lived in Kansas City, then moved to Vienna in 1968 
     after Rodger Seeman took a job with the U.S. Army Corps of 
     Engineers.
       The Seemans bought a house on Blackstone Terrace, N.W., for 
     $25,000 and lived there until their deaths. They had two sons 
     and one daughter.
       Rodger Seeman served on the Town Council from the early 
     1980s until his death in November 1996. His wife was 
     appointed to fill his unexpired term and after being elected 
     to full terms in 1997 and 1999, she ran for mayor in 2000, 
     following the death of Mayor Charles Robinson Jr. The mayor 
     won re-election six times, but had decided not to seek re-
     election this May.
       One of her sons, Bill Seeman of Fairfax Station, said his 
     parents were determined to give their kids ``fantastic 
     childhoods.''
       Seeman recalled his days of playing baseball on crude 
     schoolyard fields and then getting to pitch at Yeonas Field, 
     which had dugouts and other ``big-league'' amenities. He 
     pitched disastrously there, though, and blamed his 
     performance on the new experience of throwing from a raised 
     mound.
       That night, the boy's parents worked in their back yard to 
     build him a raised pitching mound.
       The mayor was a big sports fan, loved the Washington 
     Nationals and had a crush on player Bryce Harper, Bill Seeman 
     said.
       She also enjoyed traveling and ventured to such places as 
     France, Belgium, Russia and Greece. The mayor took her family 
     on a cruise in Alaska a couple years ago and took Bill Seeman 
     and his sons on jaunts to sports hall of fame facilities in 
     Springfield, Mass., and Cooperstown, N.Y., as well as the 
     Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, he said.
       ``Seventy-six years really was not enough for my mom,'' 
     Bill Seeman said. ``She lived about 10 normal people's lives. 
     She was a rare gift to all of us.''
       Music played a central role in the memorial service. Pat 
     Talamantes played the organ and those in attendance sang the 
     hymns ``Great Is Thy Faithfulness'' and ``Joyful, Joyful, We 
     Adore Thee.''
       One of Seeman's granddaughters, Hannah Colbert, sang 
     ``Amazing Grace'' while her father, Michael Colbert, 
     accompanied her on guitar.
       Colbert choked up on the final stanza and had to be 
     comforted. Pastor James later told her she never needed to 
     apologize for being emotionally moved by that song.
       After the service, a funeral procession led by Fairfax 
     County and Vienna police motorcycle officers went from the 
     church down Maple Avenue to Flint Hill Cemetery in Oakton, 
     where Seeman was buried near her late husband. Following the 
     burial, mourners attended a reception back at the church.
       Vienna Town Hall closed early that afternoon so town 
     employees could attend the 2 p.m. funeral. Flag were flown at 
     half-mast at the Vienna Town Green, the creation of which 
     Seeman considered to be the Town Council's biggest 
     accomplishment during her tenure.

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