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April 8, 2011
Leonard C. Seras, 88, died suddenly on Friday, April 8, 2011, at Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson, Fla.
He was a resident of Port Richey, Fla., for 14 years, and had lived previously in Easton, Pa., Wharton, N.J., and in the Wyoming Valley area.
Len was born in Plymouth, on July 3, 1922, and was preceded in death by his parents, Gus and Betty Seras; daughter, Deborah; and wife, Mildred (Blaski).
Yet another member of the “greatest generation,” Len, described by some as a “unique individual,” enjoyed a varied life career.
Following graduation from Plymouth High School in 1939, Len began his professional life as a musician in local bands, eventually carrying that love of music with him as he served proudly, from 1942 to 1946, as an Army Air Force staff sergeant in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
While in the service, he was a member of the touring musical group called the Skyliners.
Len then took his musical skills forward into his professional life, playing and recording into the 1960s with groups headed by Jose Moran, Bobby Byrne, Lee Vincent, and Henry Shapiro. Len even composed several original scores.
Following his service and early musical careers, Len graduated from Wilkes University, and followed with graduate work at both Penn State and William Paterson universities.
He entered the field of education in the early 1950s, serving as band director at several Pennsylvania high schools, then moving to New Jersey in 1956, where he was a music teacher, and band director at the Curtis School in Wharton, N.J.
His junior high school bands received numerous state and national awards, and appeared at venues such as the World’s Fair in Montreal, Canada, and state and national educators’ conventions in Atlantic City, N.J., and Boston.
He served also as a Co-Director of the Mt. Tabor Band Group, one of the most prestigious amateur orchestras in the northern New Jersey area.
Ultimately, he continued in the education field by becoming the Wharton Public Schools’ first director of pupil personnel services. While in this capacity, Len received accolades and awards for his efforts as an advocate for special needs children, helping transition many such students into high school and special school settings.
He was also a retired member of the NEA, NJEA, and various other organizations.
A bastion of wisdom, compassion, and generosity, Len will be missed by his friends and family, including son, Lee, and his wife, Carol, Flanders, N.J.; grandchildren, Taryn and her husband, Rob Gibson, Taylors, S.C.; Timothy, Flanders, N.J.; great-granddaughter, Shayla; and step-great-granddaughter, Katelyn. Surely to miss Len will be his loving and faithful companion of 16 years, Elaine Takus, with whom he walked daily, hand in hand, through later life.
A memorial service will be held at Dobies Funeral Home in Hudson, Fla., on Thursday. At a date to be determined, interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorial/donations be made in Len’s name to the American Heart Association.