Seastrand, widow of former NLV mayor, dies at 69

Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2002 | 8:56 a.m.

Rosel Ruesch Seastrand, widow of former North Las Vegas Mayor James Seastrand, was remembered Monday for her courage and determination to finish a university education after raising four children.

Seastrand, 69, died Sunday in Las Vegas of a heart condition.

"She was a determined woman," son Scott Seastrand of Las Vegas said. "I don't think there was anything she started that she didn't finish."

She married Seastrand when they were students at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She left before receiving a degree, Scott Seastrand said.

At age 65 she returned to BYU and finished a bachelor of arts degree in theatrical arts in 1999, he said.

"The other thing is her courage," the son said, referring to three open-heart surgeries she underwent.

Seastrand in 1998 founded the James Seastrand Helping Hands of North Las Vegas, named for her husband, who died the previous year. The group is affiliated with the Helping Hands of Henderson and Las Vegas. The organization brings together volunteers who assist North Las Vegas seniors so they may remain independent in their homes.

Her poem, "Vigilant Volunteers," honors the men and women who give their time and assistance visiting 30 to 35 clients a month.

In 1996 she was named Clark County Mother of the Year.

Born Dec. 20, 1932, in Hurricane, Utah, she moved to Southern Nevada 42 years ago after her husband, then a captain in the Air Force, left the service.

Seastrand is survived by a daughter, Pam Shelline, of St. George, Utah; sons Scott, Douglas and Russell, all of Las Vegas; sisters Zona Wright of Hurricane, Utah, and Joy Jordan of Fredonia, Ariz.; a brother, David Ruesch of Hurricane, Utah; and 19 grandchildren.

Visitation will be 6-8 tonight at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Civic Center-Tonopah chapel in North Las Vegas.

Services are scheduled at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the chapel.

Burial will be in Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Boulder City. Bunker Mortuary is handling the arrangements.

The family requests donations to James Seastrand Helping Hands, 2225 Civic Center Drive, Suite 240 B, North Las Vegas, NV, 89030.