A large group of friends, including many Hampton and Rockingham County officials paid final tribute to Edward S. Seavey, Jr., at the funeral services conducted Tuesday at the First Congregational Church of Hampton by the Rev. Howard S. Danner, Jr. Burial was in the High Street Cemetery, with committal services conducted by the Grand Lodge IOOF.

Among those attending the services were a uniformed delegation of nurses from the Exeter Hospital, Exeter Hospital Board of Trustees, Hampton town officials, a delegation from the Rockingham Lodge IOOF and Winnacunnet Rebekah Lodge, Rockingham County Sheriff's department, a representative of Congressman Louis Wyman, members of the Hampton Historical association, members of the State Board of Education and employees of the Hampton Publishing Company.

Bearers were former Governor Wesley Powell, Stanley Eaton, Vernon B. Dennett, Samuel A. Towle, Earl Blatchford and Richard Warner. Ushers were the deacons of the First Congregational Church.

Mr Seavey, 49, editor and publisher of Hampton Union since 1938, died at the Exeter Hospital early Sunday morning, June 16, after a brief illness. He was stricken Saturday while at his summer camp in Barrington.

Mr. Seavey was born in Bradford, Mass., May 6, 1914, the son of the late Edward and Marion (Cogswell) Seavey and came to Hampton nearly 40 years ago. He was graduated from the Hampton Academy.

He acquired the Hampton Publishing Company from his father in 1939 and was its president and treasurer.

Long active in civic and municipal affairs, he was moderator for the town of Hampton and the Winnacunnet Cooperative High School District, and was considered to be one of the leading authorities in the area on the duties and functions of a moderator.

He was also president of the Exeter Hospital Board of Trustees, past president of the Hampton Kiwanis Club and the Hampton Academy Alumni Association, and a member of the Hampton Historical Society.

Mr. Seavey was instrumental in the founding of the Winnacunnet High School Scholarship Foundation and served as building chairman for both the Centre School addition and the Hampton Academy Junior High School.

Active in fraternal circles, Mr. Seavey was the Grand Master of the New Hampshire Grand Lodge in 1958-59 and a past Grand Representative. He was also a past Noble Grand of Rockingham Lodge IOOF, a member of the Unto Encampment of Hampton, Canton Senter PM and Winnacummet Rebekah Lodge.

A mason, he was a member of Star in the East Lodge of Exeter, St. James Lodge of Hampton, Ineffable Lodge of Perfection, John Christie Council, Princes of Jerusalem of Portsmouth, N.H., Rose Croix of Dover, and New Hampshire Consistory of Nashua.

Mr. Seavey was a member of the State Board of Education, appointed to the post by Gov. Wesley Powell. He was also on Powell's military staff with the rank of major.

Active in his church, Mr. Seavey was a deacon of the First Congregational church of Hampton had for many years taught a Sunday School class there.

He leaves his wife, Mrs. Margaret Wingate Seavey; two sons, John, a sophomore at Bates college, and Edward S. Seavey, III; a daughter, Miss Sarah Seavey of Hampton; two sisters, Mrs. Carl C. Bragg of Hampton and Mrs. J. Aubrey Grant of North Hampton.

You live your life, that measured span of time, upon this old earth and if you're fortunate you'll meet one great man during your journey. Ed Seavey was a great man and having had the honor and privilege of knowing him made our journey a little easier.

He was only 49 when he received his summons to come home and in this day and age of modern medical miracles that's rather young. But then Ed accomplished more in his 49 short years than most of us could do in twice that number. There's a new wing at the Exeter Hospital and the hospital itself is one of the best equipped and most modern to be found in this area. We have better schools now and a lot of deserving kids -- our leaders of tomorrow -- are getting the college education they couldn't afford aided by the Winnacunnet High school scholarship fund.

A monument to Ed Seavey -- everywhere you look there's a monument to Ed Seavey -- he spent his life building monuments -- his life is a monument.

He was a kind and generous person -- a true Christian gentleman whose sole purpose was serving his fellowmen.

We'll miss Ed sorely -- there's no doubt of that. He helped us find meaning and purpose and he left us a goal to shoot for, the UNION will always be his paper and the truth will always be its goal. With God's help, we will continue as Ed would want us to, and we will not be swayed from the high standards he achieved. Our grief is softened in the knowledge that our separation is but a temporary one and some day, we'll meet again on that other shore.

You think of Ed Seavey and somehow you know that when he reached home he was greeted with these words, 'well done, thou good and faithful servant.'

The stories are written, the type set and the press is ready to roll -- we'll miss you Ed. Somehow it won't be the same, but in our hearts you'll always be with us and until that day when the Big Editor calls us up.

'Til we meet again,

D. McC. P.

I am a man coming up to 90 years of age but I do not know of a person I have known, of whom his passing on, is so hard to realize as Mr. Seavey.

This is partly due to his passing on before he reached fifty, but more it is due the type of man he was, ever pleasant, friendly, intelligent and kind.

A newspaper is an item which comes each day or week into our lives and its head thus is a constant visitor to us.

Horace Greeley and his New York Tribune, Pulitzer in the N.Y. World, or such local heads at John Templeton in Exeter with its (Exeter) News Letter and Edward S. Seavey with the Hampton UNION.

The Hampton UNION started June 14, 1899, when a man named (Charles Francis) Adams came down from Exeter where he had tried to buck the News-Letter and the Gazette, and failed.

It was a small page paper with very fine type, published weekly each Saturday.

Adams sold out to Edward S. Seavey, Sr. who carried it on in his connection with his general printing until 1939 when Edward, Jr., who had just reached the age of 25 years, took over.

Less than a year later, I began to make my weekly contributions and often came down to the office and stepped in for in for a chat with Mr. Seavey.

I have known of no man with a more agreeable personality, ever a pleasant, kindly, intelligent gentleman. He was quick and keen of mind and interested in his work.

I had similar contacts with John Templeton who, up in Exeter carried on over fifty years and I never had a thought but what Mr. Seavey would do the same.

His passing leaves a sense of loss in all of us who knew him, and this writer would be one who wishes to pay a tribute to Mr. Seavey, and extend his sympathy to his family.