Walter A. "Hap" Seyller Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Walter A. “Hap” Seyller, 69, of Kingston, formerly of Hampshire, passed away Wednesday morning, Aug. 3, 2022, at St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin. He was born March 20, 1953, in Elgin the son of Ambrose and Rita Rose (Schiesher) Seyller.. Walter “Hap” was born and raised on the Seyller Family Dairy farm in Hampshire, IL. Most of his time was spent working on the family farm. Hap earned his nickname from his family who say he was always such a “happy” baby. As a kid he attended and graduated from St Charles Borromeo Catholic School then moved on to Hampshire High School where he graduated with the class of 1971. During his senior year of high school, he met the love of his life and future wife, Deborah Whitsell on a blind bowling date. He would marry her just 2 years later on April 28, 1973. After high school, Hap worked as a carpenter for a small construction company, while starting a small hog farm. After Hap and Deb were married, he started his roofing business while still dabbling with hog farming. During this time, they had their only son, Chad. After Chad was born, the farming continued and moved between a couple of different farms over the course of several years. Hap’s passion where hogs, rabbits, and all forms of poultry and small farm animals. It really depended on his mood at any given time, but his staple were always his chickens! While renting a farm on Allen Rd. Hap and Deb decided to quit farming and build their own house. Deb came up with the floor plan and Hap made it all come together. They moved into their forever home in Kingston in late 1992 and have lived there since. Hap was very adamant about this being the last home he would ever live in and he built it as such with wider halls and easier accessibility. After building the house, Hap started getting sick in 1994. Once Deb made him go to the doctor, he was told that his kidneys were failing and would need dialysis to live. His only option was a kidney transplant. On October 3rd, 1995, his sister, Sandy Eberly, gave him her gift of life, her kidney. From that day on they celebrated his “second birthday” every year. During that time, Hap, decided to start WDC Landscaping Etc. due to the lower demand needed from the transplant. He worked with his son initially for the first few years and established being known as “The Mulch Man” from Kingston. During that time, he also enjoyed a couple hobby’s that included raising plants/trees and continuing his love of chickens. That kidney lasted over 20 years until other health issues started to take over. As Chad started his family, Hap enjoyed spending time with his grandkids (Denetra, Draven, Arianna), step grandkids (Grace and Gabe), and great grand kids (Brentley, Bennett, and Sage) as they came along. For a short period of time Draven stayed with Grandma and Papa and truly enjoyed having him around. Denetra recalls the days that she would ride in Betsy (Old White Dump Truck) with Papa on mulch runs and tractor rides. Hap really enjoyed taking all the grand kids on his mulch runs and they enjoyed it in return. As the family started to grow more, he was a proud Great Grandpa and enjoyed all the time he could get with the Great Grandkids. After the failure of the kidney, Hap battled numerous health issues that required him to fight like hell to maintain his quality of life. He battled relentlessly to continue to work, be around for his family and was an inspiration to all. His battle was hard fought but his body could only take so much. The family loves him dearly and he will be sorely missed by all. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Deborah; son, Chad (Letisha) Seyller; grandchildren, Denetra, Draven, Arianna; step grandchildren, Grace, and Gabriel; 3 great-grandchildren, Brentley, Bennett, and Sage; siblings, Sandy (John) Eberly, Peg Thompson, Joe (Sandra) Seyller, Patricia (Bill) Maynard, Ambrose, Jr. (Shelley) Seyller, Paul (Patty) Seyller, and John (Lisa) Seyller; brother-in-law, Rich Kastning; sister-in-law, Debra Seyller; many nieces, nephews, good friends, and extended family. He is preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Mary Kastning; and brother, Daniel Seyller. Funeral Services will be at 11 AM on Monday at Fredrick Funeral Home, 284 Park St. in Hampshire. Burial will follow in the St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery. Visitation will be on Sunday, Aug. 7 from 2 – 5 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name may be made to Dark Horse Lodge (Veteran's retreat) at www.darkhorselodge.org.

Walter A. "Hap" Seyller

March 20, 1953 - August 3, 2022