TIGARD, Ore. — Seward Edwin Eggleston, 93, died June 17, 2020. He was born at Shard Villa, at that time a nursing home for women, in Salisbury, Vt., on Nov. 30, 1926, where his parents, Burr and Lena Eggleston, were caretakers.
He quit high school to join the Marine Corps in 1945, and served on the U.S.S. Lexington in the Pacific Theatre and the occupation force in Japan. On the way back from service, he traveled through Oregon on the troop train and fell in love with the state. He vowed to live there someday.
In 1947, he married the love of his life, Theresa Desautels, in Exeter, N.H., while on leave. They settled in Middlebury, where he worked as a meat cutter, bookkeeper for Goodro Lumber and ran a taxi service. He completed his GED and graduated with a degree in Agriculture from the University of Vermont in 1960. Seward, Theresa and their three children loaded a Rambler station wagon and 15-foot trailer and headed to Oregon.
Seward retired after 25 years working for Comico American. He and Theresa traveled to New Zealand, Hawaii, Branson, Mo., and many annual trips to Vermont to visit family and friends. They enjoyed square dancing and their cabin on the Siletz River. Seward traced his genealogy back to the 16th century.
He leaves behind Theresa, his wife of 73 years; daughter Bonnie Pedersen; son Kenyon Eggleston; daughter-in-law Ann Kloka; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Daniel Eggleston.◊