Surrounded by his loving family, Orville Eugene Seaton, age 76 of Winchester, passed away on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at St Thomas West in Nashville. He was born in Greeneville, Tennessee on May 16,1945 to the late Edward Joseph and Virgie Allyne (Jones) Seaton. After graduation from East Tenneessee State University, Gene moved to Winchester to serve as the manager of Sears & Roebuck. In 1975, while at Sears, his most exciting venture was to have Dave Cortner fly him above the downtown area of Winchester, asked him to put the aircraft on its side, opening and holding the door with his right leg while dispensing thousands of balls in the air to fall in downtown area. If one picked up a ball with a certain number inside, they claimed a prize. This particular venture drew thousands of residents to downtown Winchester and was talked about for years. After leaving Sears, he started his banking career at Farmers Bank in Winchester under the leadership of Jim Crouch. A particular memory of his during this time was agreeing to be Santa in downtown Winchester. He was brought in on a firetruck if memory serves well and was loaded down with a sack load of candy. Emotions and anticipations were running high with the hundreds of youth waiting for these treats. His feet barely touched the pavement when he was instantly mobbed, kids screaming, tearing his beard off, ripping his clothes, and stealing his candy. Running fast and hard, he made it inside to Hall’s Men Shop, breathless, shutting and locking the door and hiding in the back. I’m not sure why, but he never volunteered for that role again.
In his unrelenting quest for different experiences and his thirst to further his education, he then went on to serve as the Winchester City Clerk and Judge. This experience led him to a career as the Franklin County Industrial Recruiter. Later moving to Florence, Alabama, Gene served as the Executive Director for the Florence Chamber of Commerce covering the Shoals area and given the primary responsibility to pull the Tri-City area chambers together. After successfully completing this career goal, he then returned to Winchester with his young family. He worked for Traders Bank then went to serve as president of Suntrust Bank. It was during this time, Gene and Tim Sanders gathered investors to form Franklin County United Bank, where Gene served as President and CEO alongside Tim as Vice-President. They created a successful bank mainly because they executed their motto “Simple Banking…Superior Service” with commitment and tenacity. They enjoyed several fun as well as hard years working together as these two were polar opposites making their relationship one of calm and storm, yen and yang, one complimenting the other. Before his retirement from banking at the age of 70, Gene then finished his professional career once again serving as the industrial recruiter for Franklin County under the leadership of Richard Stewart, mayor of Franklin County.
Among his numerous volunteer activities throughout his career, his work as a volunteer fireman and first responder with the City of Winchester was certainly his most rewarding. According to his wife, Vickie, the downside of the emergency responses was being left behind, be it restaurants, theatres, or stranded at the fishing pier, with nothing more than a quick smooch on the cheek as he rushed away and onto the tailboard of the fire truck, saying not much more than “Honey, I love you, and I’ll be back soon to pick you up”. Needless to say, she decided to marry him anyway.
An avid outdoorsman, Gene enjoyed fishing and duck hunting. He also enjoyed reading but it was his primary school music education and mastering the trumpet which created a lifelong love for all genres of music. As a member of Winchester Cumberland Presbyterian Church, his most enjoyable activity was participating in the church choir under the fabulous direction of Steve Cagley, Choir Director.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Emma Ruth Inscore Cannon. Gene is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Vickie Stahl Seaton; sons, Jeremy E. (Celia) Seaton and Eric J. Seaton; daughter, Ericka Suzanne Seaton; grandchildren, Addysun, Asher, Dane, and Luke; sisters-in-law, Linda Thomas, Ginger (David) Bevis, and Teena Moore; nephews, Chris (Rebecca) Thomas, and Austyn (Anna) Bevis; nieces, Audrey West, and Jaime Nicole Moore; cousins, Glenda Walters Williams, and Nick Cannon; and best fur baby, Annie.
Special thanks to B.J. Mathis, who, without hesitation, arrived at Gene’s home at 3:30 a.m. following a scared frightened call from Vickie that Annie needed to be taken care of while she left following the medical team. As of this writing, she is still under his loving care. In addition these wonderful people, after receiving a call, instantly came to her aid…the pallbearers, Steve Macon, Winchester Fire Department, Pastor Michael Clark, and Chris and Rebecca Thomas for driving her well before dawn to St. Thomas West and getting her to ICU to be with the absolute love of her life during his final days. You will never be forgotten for your unselfish quick response to her immediate needs. Thanks to so many in this responsive community.
Visitation will be from 4-6pm Sunday, October 31, 2021 at Moore-Cortner Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held at 2:00pm on Monday, November 1, 2021 in the Moore-Cortner Chapel with Dr. Rev. Michael Clark officiating. Interment will follow at Franklin Memorial Gardens with Bob Wiseman, Mark Dudley, Richard Stewart, John Gipson, Alex Sanders, and Nick Cannon serving as pallbearers.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, 300 First Ave NW, Winchester, TN 37398, (931)-967-2222
