Vinita Chrystal (Dunn) Seely (1934 - 2020)

Born 12 Oct 1934 in Santa Monica, California, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Roy Vernon Seely — married 3 Oct 1952 in Ventura County, California, USA

Descendants

Died 21 Aug 2020 at age 85 in Simi Valley, Ventura, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Summer Seely [send private message]

Kay (Dunn) Seely has German Roots.

Kay was a Jehovah's Witness

Kay (Dunn) Seely was a Californian.

Biography

Birth name: Janet Chrystal Dunn.

Vinita was born in 1934, the daughter of George Kenneth Dunn & Christel Schwarz. Christel was in a coma after her daughter was born, so George named his baby girl Janet. When mom awoke, she didn't like the name. She had been reading a book and wanted to name the baby Vinita. They stuck with the name Janet for about a year, mom hated it, so they began calling her Vinita. It was never legally changed. She went to school and got married as Vinita. But, she hated her name.

In the early 1990s, she was shopping for an anklet with her husband Roy. They came across one in a pawn shop that had an engraving, "Kay". He teased her all weekend calling her Kay and she liked it. From then on, she decided that was her new name (also, never legally changed.)

So, her legal name is Janet. Anyone that knew her from before about 1990 knows her as Vinita. And anyone that met her after that time knows her as Kay.

She was 17 when she met Roy. He was stationed in California and his friend Jim was engaged to her sister, Dolores. He came to her moms house along with Jim when he was visiting Dolores. They married 5 weeks later, at the county courthouse. They had a small reception for which Mr Hitchcock provided the champagne.

Roy was shipped out to the Philippines soon after the wedding. He spent almost 2 years there. They had 4 sons together. They lived in California mostly, but spent a short time living in Boston (where Roy was from) and in Oklahoma.

She became a grandmother at the age of 38. Her grandkids called her "Tutu", which means grandma in Hawaiian.

She loved thrift and pawn shopping. She grew up in Santa Monica and loved the beach. After their children were all married and out of the house, she and Roy took regular trips to Hawaii. She would slather herself with oil and bake in the sun, and he would read. She loved camping, especially at the beaches of Ventura and in the redwoods. She loved going on vacation. Before she went on a vacation, she would already be planning the next one! And she packed her clothes for the vacation as soon as she made the reservations. It didn't matter if it was 2 months away, she packed!

In her own words, she "never knew a stranger". She would talk to anyone and everyone she came across. She loved talking to people and thought everyone was good. She was quite a character, a very strong personality. One thing she would say was "I'm glad you met me."

Kay had various health problems. She had type 2 diabetes, IBS, kidney failure, atrial fibrillation, Binswanger's dementia, recurring urinary tract infections and was prone to gout, ulcers and TIA's (caused by the a-fib). She would have a major health crisis and amazingly pull through. At 85, however, she contracted shingles, had a UTI and a major TIA. This was too much for her body and she couldn't recover. After 2 months in and out of hospitals and nursing facilities, she was brought home. She died peacefully at home on August 21, 2020.

Being a Jehovah's Witness for 57 years, she strongly believed in the resurrection hope promised in the bible. She was looking forward to seeing her loved ones again someday soon.

She was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Roy; daughter in law Julie, great-grandson Waylon, brother Gary, sister Dolores, nephew Chris and several close friends.

She is survived by her four sons, three daughters in law, 15 grandchildren and their spouses, 27 great-grandchildren, sister Patricia, sister in law Marie, sister in law Doreen, brother in law Jim, several nieces & nephews and many, many friends.

She was so very proud of her large family and would ask anyone that would listen, "Guess how many grandchildren I have." Lumping us all together (grandchildren & great-grandchildren) she had 43.

Sources

*personal knowledge and family sources

• 1940 US census
• California Birth Index, 1905-1995
• California, Marriage Index, 1949-1959
• Death Certificate, State of California
• Find A Grave: Memorial #215148416