Jeanne Lee Seppala

Funeral service for Jeanne Lee Seppala will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Walker Funeral Home in Gillette. Burial will follow at Mount Pisgah Cemetery. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service.

Jeanne Seppala, 76, of Gillette, died Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, at her home of natural causes.

Mrs. Seppala was born June 29, 1936, the oldest identical twin to Joanne in Faith, S. D., to parents Harold and Gladys (Tibble) Shrull.

As a young child, she moved to Newcastle with her family where she was raised and educated, graduating from Newcastle High School in 1954. Upon her graduation, she attended Black Hills Teacher’s College in Spearfish, S.D.

There, she met her husband, Jim Seppala, and the couple was married in November 1955 in Edgemont, S. D., where the couple made their home. They later moved to a ranch on the Cheyenne River before moving to Newcastle.

In 1974, Mrs. Seppala began a 27-year career with the now BNSF Railroad. In 1982, she and her family moved to Gillette, where she has lived since.

In 1997, she suffered a stroke. Mrs. Seppala handled this life-changing event with much grace and determination. An accomplished right-handed painter prior to the stroke, she became an equally accomplished left-handed painter.

As a young woman, she competed in rodeo. She had a special way with animals. She enjoyed the Broncos and the Yankees, loved watching her children and grandchildren compete in all of their activities and she was very artistic. Mrs. Seppala also loved her time at the Senior Center and cherished her friendships made during time spent there.

Mrs. Seppala is survived by her four children, Joleen McIlravy of Gillette, Linda Gaudard of Buffalo, Mike Seppala of Pueblo, Colo., and Susie Carr of Gillette; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; one sister and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Jim, and twin sister, Joanne.

Memorials are suggested to benefit the Senior Center Painting Class. Memorials and condolences may be sent in Jeanne’s name in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel, 210 W. 5th St., Gillette, WY 82716, via the internet at www.gillettememorialchapel.com or attached to the obituary on the News Record’s website at www.gillettenewsrecord.com.