Lowell P Sease

Lowell Presnell Sease, 82, Mandan, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 19, 2014, at Sanford Continuing Care Center off Sunset, Mandan. Services will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, January 28, at Bismarck Baptist Church, 2211 Laforest Avenue, Bismarck, with Rev. Merle Hoots and Rev. Allen Finger officiating. Burial will be held at 2:00 pm at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm Monday, January 27, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Lowell was born July 21, 1931, on a farm in McClusky, Sheridan County, North Dakota, one of five children born to Earl Philip and Ada Mae Blanchard Sease. He attended schools around McClusky until he graduated. In 1950, Lowell enlisted in the Air Force and served in Germany during the Korean War as a radio technician. After his honorable discharge in 1954, Lowell immediately began working for the Bell Telephone system. Throughout his career as a telephone man, Lowell did everything. He put up telephone poles, climbed telephone poles, ran wires between poles, ran wires to homes, installed phones, repaired phones, worked with large buried telephone cable wires, and also maintained large telephone systems such as those at the Capitol building, MedCenter One, University of Mary, and others in Bismarck. Lowell was working as a phone man in Riverdale, ND, when he met Cleaice Dwelle-Bailey. They were married on November 29, 1957, in McClusky, ND. He adopted Cleaice's two children Wayne and Lynda who were ages 10 and 5 respectively. The family moved to Bismarck in 1958, where Lowell began his career with Northwestern Bell Telephone in Bismarck, and they had three more children, Bonnie, Cindy, and Susan. Lowell retired early from AT&T in 1985 and worked for other small phone companies locally until he eventually started his own small business, Lowell's Phone Service, in 1995. He also worked part time for MedCenter One from 2003 to 2010, maintaining phone systems in their main buildings, as well as phone systems in their clinics and nursing homes around Bismarck and Mandan. With the help of his mother who played organ, Lowell taught himself to play guitar as a young boy, and he learned to play the accordion in Germany. He also taught himself to play piano. He especially loved to play guitar and entertained with friends in several local bands. Lowell encouraged music in all his children and grandchildren. He bought whatever instruments they wanted to learn to play clarinet, accordions, piano, organ, guitar. He taught his grandson Ryan to play guitar, for which he is ever grateful. He gifted each of his grandsons with guitars. Lowell was liked by everyone and was known to be a wise, mild-mannered, true gentleman. Lowell is survived by his five children, Wayne Mary Sease, Bismarck, Lynda Bergo, Minneapolis, MN, Bonnie Jones, Mandan, Cindy Shannon Tomek, Graham, WA, and Susan Phillip Lofthus, Wilton, ND; his eight grandchildren, Nathan Sease, Eric Sease, Chad Bergo, Wendy College, Ryan Jones, Aja Jones, Ashley Osten, and Devin Calheim; two step-grandchildren, Michaela and Sean Lofthus; 6 great-grandchildren; his sister Shirley Elmer Fandrich, brother Raymond Mae Sease, and brother Ralph Lois Sease. He was preceded in death by his wife, Cleaice; parents, Earl and Ada Sease; his sisters Irene Krueger and Nida Lasher; and many nieces and nephews.

Lowell P Sease

July 21, 1931 - January 19, 2014