WALLINGFORD — Longtime town personnel director Stanley Seadale died earlier this month at the age of 94.
Seadale “passed away peacefully” at Masonicare, according to his obituary.
The World War II Navy veteran retired from the town in 1993. Outside of his work for the town, Seadale was a “caring father,” said his daughter Karen Tarducci.
“If you needed something, he was there to give it to you,” Tarducci said.
Seadale was born in Glen Cove, New York on Sept. 27, 1927, according to his obituary.
“In his younger life, before I came around, he was a World War II veteran,” said Eric Seadale, Stanley Seadale’s youngest son. “He joined when he was 17. I think it was late in the war, he wanted to sign up and he had to get his father’s permission to enlist because he wasn’t 18 yet.
“He got in there kind of late so he didn’t see any combat action, but he was involved in the Operation Crossroads, which was the atomic bomb testing...,” his son added.
Stanley Seadale was married to his wife Annette Seadale, who died last year, for 74 years. They lived in New York, Florida and Connecticut, settling down in Wallingford for 30 years, the obituary said. Seadale served as town personnel director for 18 years.
“I know he did a lot of work in getting the town to do its own testing for jobs rather than relying on standardized testing...” said Eric Seadale. “… I know from what he told me over the years was that he felt that it was important for the town to test so that way they decide specifically the needs for the town.”
Former Town Councilor Jerry Farrell Jr, a local attorney, got to know Seadale when he worked part time at town hall while he was in high school and college.
“I think he always tried to cultivate a cheerful approachable kind of manner with those that he was in charge of,” Farrell said. “So I have a lot of admiration for that kind of approach.”
Seadale started as an electrical engineer before he went into personnel work. He once worked at Cott Beverage, which had a building in New Haven.
“He had a lot of fun stories to tell from there,” Tarducci said.
Eric Seadale said his father was “very conscientious in his job.” .
“He wanted to get the best class of employees for the town,” his son said. “... He wanted to diversify the town a little bit too.”
David Gessert, former Town Council chairman, said Seadale did a good job with “handling the benefits of our people.”
“Making sure that Wallingford did what we were supposed to,” Gessert said.
Mayor William Dickinson Jr. described Seadale as “caring and gentle.”
“Stan was a person who represented the town well and tried to do the best he could for every person and have the office shine as a result,” Dickinson said.
Seadale was a member of the First Baptist Church of Wallingford, Gideons International, American Legion Post #73 and was the past president of the Rotary Club of North Haven, according to his obituary.
“He was a Godly person,” Eric Seadale said. “He was very active in church all his life. That was a big part of his life.”
Standley Seadale was also survived by his son Carl Seadale.
jsimms@record-journal.com203-317-2279Twitter: @jessica_simms99