newsminer.com

Photo by Johnny Wagner

Photo by Johnny Wagner

Photo by Johnny Wagner

Photo by Johnny Wagner

Photo by Johnny Wagner

FAIRBANKS — Bill Seitz has seen a lot of things in his lifetime, but he was treated to a new sight at his 100th birthday party — belly dancers.

Tundra Caravan Middle Eastern Dance Troupe provided the entertainment at Seitz’s party at the Denali Center, which was attended by his friends and family.

The theme of the party, written on a banner, was “Happy 100th Birthday, Bill! You’re Out of This World!” and party decorations included Milky Way candy bars on Seitz’s cake and little Martians scattered across the buffet table.

The party was attended by a mix of people from Fairbanks and Delta Junction, where Seitz was a longtime resident and owner of Seitz Building Supply Co.

Delta Junction Mayor Mary Leith-Dowling said she first met Seitz when her family built their house in the ’60s.

“I remember him always being nice and always greeting people,” Leith-Dowling said.

Seitz’s two children — daughter, Leta Thurman, and son, Harlan Seitz — were on hand to celebrate with their father. Seitz’s first wife and the mother of his two children, Mary, passed away in 1964. His second wife, Viola Walls, passed away four years ago.

Thurman said her father was a workaholic. One of her fondest memories was accompanying her father to job sites after dinner to check on the quality of work done by his men.

“He would go back to work after work,” she said.

Thurman’s family came to Alaska in a caravan of cars from Iowa when her father was hired by Peter J. Kiewit to do construction work in the state. She said the distance the caravan traveled depended on the availability of having somewhere to rest for the night.

“Some days we would travel 20 miles, and others we would travel 100 miles,” Thurman said. “It depended on if we had somewhere to stay.”

The family arrived in Fairbanks on March 28, 1949.

Bill remembered traveling in the 15-car caravan and arriving five days before the contractor was there to start work.

Working for Kiewit, Bill helped build the first residential building at Ladd Air Force Base, now known as Fort Wainwright. At Fort Greeley, Bill contributed to the building of the first nuclear power plant in Alaska. He also had a hand in building Nike air defense missile sites on Murphy Dome and Johnson Road.

The Seitz family then moved to Delta Junction, where Bill started his building supply business. Leith-Dowling said she remembered times when Bill would wait until the end of the month to collect from people who ran a tab at his store, making things easier for people running short of money.

“He was a positive person who would work with people,” she said.

Harlan said his father was a good-hearted person who gave a lot of materials away while keeping a reputation as a good businessperson. One of his favorite memories of his father was when Bill would allow him to pick out lumber for certain jobs.

“He would say I was better at it then some of the people who were doing it,” Harlan said.

Harlan also recalled his father working long hours. In addition to running his own business, Bill served on the Golden Valley Electric Association Board of Directors for more than 20 years.

Besides his involvement with his business, Thurman said Bill was interested in cribbage and pinochle. He also was a whiz with numbers. Harlan said Bill also played pool for many years and had his fair share of victories at the annual pool tournament in Delta Junction. Hillary Addison remembers cheering her grandfather on when he was in a pool tournament with Bill. Leith-Dowling recalled a friendly atmosphere filled with laughter and jokes during the tournaments.

Bill said the most important thing he has learned so far is to enjoy things before they disappear.

Growing up in Delta Junction, Leith-Dowling said Bill and his wife, Mary, were always there and always with a positive attitude.

“To live to 100, you have to have a positive outlook,” Leith-Dowling said.