John “Greg” Seymour passed away on Oct. 18, 2023, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was embraced with love to the very end, surrounded by his wife Willie, two sons, Scott and Justin and daughter-in-law Aubrey.
Greg was born on March 4, 1942. The second of what would ultimately be a trio of boys for John and Dorothy Seymour, Greg was destined for a life of adventure. He spent his early years in Seal Beach, Calif., before moving to a remote cabin in Stoddard’s Canyon at the base of the San Gabriel mountains at the age of five. It was here that his love of the outdoors, nature and all of its creatures began to flourish. He would spend hours exploring the canyon, its stream and waterfalls, often returning well after dark with some exotic find treasure, a rock, fossil, raccoon or an occasional rattlesnake.
In the early 1950s, the family left the canyon and moved to West Covina, where Greg would ultimately discover the two loves of his life, his wife Willie and the sea.
He and Willie began dating in 1955 and would often travel to coastal Orange County and spend hours exploring the beaches in Laguna and Dana Point or sitting on the bluff above what is now Monarch Bay. He began diving and spearfishing in the abundant waters offshore and fell in love with the ocean and the freedom it gave him. He and his future wife became determined to make the area their home.
They married in 1963 and, after graduating from Humboldt State in 1964, made their dream of living on the coast a reality. Initially settling into San Clemente, Greg began what would ultimately become a 40-year passion, education, and, more specifically, teaching within the Capistrano Unified School District. He taught at Concordia, Ole Hanson and Moulton elementary schools but ultimately settled at R.H. Dana, where he spent over 25 years, ironically sitting above the very location where he and Willie had dreamed of building their lives.
Greg absolutely loved teaching, or more specifically, the students he taught. He loved expanding young minds to the wonders of the world, teaching science and math for the majority of his career. If you ever had the opportunity to see one of his classrooms, you know these weren’t simply places to learn. They were portals to another world where his students could explore and create their own adventures. Often filled with relics and treasures found on the family’s extended summer vacations in Baja, California or the Pacific Northwest. Arrowheads, fossils, shells, dolphin skulls and rocks and minerals and all types of living creatures, snakes, turtles, spiders and iguanas, etc. were just a few of the things you might find. These were truly living classrooms.
In 2004, Greg retired from teaching, having been named Capistrano Unified Teacher of the Year twice. It was a bittersweet moment. The loss of giving up something he loved was quickly filled by spending countless hours back in the ocean diving, often with his grandsons, camping with Willie or pouring himself into his community, Three Arch Bay.
“The Bay” was his sanctuary, and he treated it as such. Often up before dawn, he would bring out the neighborhood trash cans, deliver neighbors papers and readily jump into any and all community projects. When the hedge in front of the community’s beloved gazebo grew too large and blocked the view of the beach, he repelled over the cliff with Willie on belay to cut it back, not once but twice. He loved Three Arch Bay, his fellow neighbors and sharing his love of the ocean with anyone with a curiosity for its treasures. Teaching more than one Three Arch Bay resident to snorkel, he eventually gained the nickname “The Finder” for his uncanny ability to find many an item lost somewhere beneath the waters of the cove and return it to the original owner. The ocean was his true home.
In his final months, Greg could still be found walking down the North Beach steps, dive gear in hand, no wetsuit, even in winter and a smile that spoke to the pure joy he anticipated as he slipped beneath the surface of the sea. Greg loved his friends, cherished his family and was the definition of life well lived. He left an indelible footprint on this planet and will be missed beyond measure.
Greg is survived by his wife of 60 years, Wilmira, his two sons Scott and Justin, their wives Aubrey and Terie and his four grandchildren, Landon, Sean, Logan and Ashton.
A memorial scholarship endowment fund is being established in Greg’s name through The Cal Poly Philanthropic Foundation. The scholarship will assist aspiring teachers who are completing their teaching credentials and bridge the gap as they support themselves through the unpaid student teaching process, the final step to becoming an educator. The Seymour Family would be truly grateful if you would consider a donation to this scholarship in our father’s legacy. You can find more information and add your contact information to the interest list at www.gregseymourendowment.com.
