William (“Bill”) W. Seaton, 91, husband of Ruby Ayres Seaton, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at Chelsea Retirement Community in Chelsea, MI. Born September 23, 1929, in Danville, IL, he was the eldest son of the late William and Marjorie Cole Seaton. Bill attended St. Bernice High School in St. Bernice, IN, where he met his future wife, Ruby Ayres. They were married on Valentine’s Day in 1948, and lived in Dana, IN and Georgetown, IL before moving to Dexter, MI in 1958, where he lived the rest of his life.
Bill obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (BSE) in 1954 from General Motors Institute (GMI), and held jobs at the Central Foundry Division of GMC in Danville, IL and International Automation Corporation in Ann Arbor, MI before starting his own company, Seaton Engineering (later Seaton-SSK Engineering), in Ann Arbor. Bill and his company specialized in automatic metal pouring, and he became well known in the industry with numerous patents for design and for building automated pouring equipment. His most significant project was an order for the Soviet Union to design and build 33 large pouring cars, each capable of pouring three tons of iron. Bill and his company designed and manufactured a multitude of carrier systems and Bill traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, and Australia, consulting on their installation and operation before retiring and enjoying his winters in Florida with his wife, Ruby.
Never a man to sit idle, Bill obtained his pilot’s license after retiring, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and spent many years flying the skies over Michigan in a two-seater Cessna airplane as a member of the Michigan Fliers Club of Ann Arbor.
Bill is survived by his children, Ilona Samborn of Ann Arbor, and Greg Seaton of Plymouth, MI; his three granddaughters, Alison Samborn, Lindsey Seaton Cavendar, and Kara Seaton Rabouin; his two great-grandsons, Graeme Cavendar and Pete Rabouin; and his siblings, Delores (“Dolly”) Hadley of South Carolina, and Dennis Seaton of Kentucky.
At a future date, Bill will be laid to rest next to his late wife, Ruby, in Indiana. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Chelsea Retirement Community (Chelsea) or the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
