Obituary of Donald J Seibert

Donald John Seibert was born on February 26, 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts to John LeRoy Seibert and Eleanor Thomas Seibert.  He died on February 22, 2019 at his home in Land O Lakes, Florida.

Early in his life he experienced the loss of his Mother, Eleanor.  As a consequence he and his sister, Shirley lived with various relatives and their grandparents in Pennsylvania.  In 1945 his father married Agnes Park.  At that time, the family moved to Maywood, New Jersey.

He graduated from Bogota High School in Bogota, New Jersey in 1954.  After graduation he joined the Air Force and had basic training at Samson AFB in New York State.  Most of his service was at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, where he was discharged in 1958. 

He enrolled in Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and later transferred to the University of Montana in Missoula.  He had the privilege of working with the Craighead brothers assisting with their research on grizzly bears.  He graduated in 1962 with a degree in Wildlife Biology. 

He later earned a Master’s degree from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.

In 1963 he married Emily Fischer Bauer and adopted her son, Steven.  Emily passed away in 2008.  He later married Leila Farnum in Billings, Montana at the Unitarian Universalist Church where they were both members.

After graduation from the University of Montana, he began a career with the Bureau of Land Management which continued until his retirement.  His work took him to many of the Rocky Mountain states and also for several years to the Washington, DC office.

After retiring from the BLM, Donald took an executive position with the Boy Scouts, working in Idaho and Montana.  He had achieved the level of Eagle Scout as a youth and continued as a volunteer during much of his adult life.  He participated in the Scout World Jamboree in 1967 in Idaho. 

He was supportive and active in a number of conservation organizations serving in various leadership capacities, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Montana Board of the Audubon Society.  In 2018, he wrote and published a 426 page history of the Siebert family.

Donald was preceded in death by his mother, father, step-mother and first wife.  He is survived by his wife, Leila Farnum, son Steven and wife Regina, his sister Shirley Hoffman (Ken Kinder), half-sisters JoAnn Iacono (Anthony) and Diane Johnston (Dale).  He also leaves behind niece Melissa Records and nephews David Records (Tess) and Jonathan Records (Kathy) and great nephew Xavier Geppert.  Donald leaves a beloved grandson Shelton Segrest (Tara Santillez) and great-granddaughters Savannah, Julionnah, Aurorah, and Hazel.  He was also loved by Leila’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Donald established a scholarship fund at the University of Montana.  If you wish to contribute, please contact the University of Montana Foundation, P. O. Box 7159, Missoula, MT 59807, and specify the Donald J. Seibert Wildlife Scholarship Fund. 

Memorial services will be held at Loyless Funeral Home in Land O Lakes, Florida on Thursday, March 14 at 2 PM and at a later date in Billings, Montana.