Donnie “Bear” Seward was born December 31st, 1951, to Albert and Inez Seward in the Sunny Slope area of Osage county. He attended elementary school at Middle Enterprise and then graduated from Ralston High School in 1970. He then moved to Ponca City where he spent the rest of his life. Bear worked for the city of the Ponca City as a supervisor in the Solid Waste Department from 1978 until his retirement in 2003.

Donnie married Julie Vaught on September 13th, 1980. They enjoyed traveling around the US on driving vacations and visited more than 40 states over their 43 years of marriage. Donnie and Julie adopted their daughter, Hannah Daye, when she was born in 1999 and began the most wonderful and rewarding part of their journey. When she was born, Donnie wondered if he would live long enough to see her graduate high school. He was able watch her graduate high school, college with her associate degree and walk her down the aisle to her husband Daniel. All the things he didn’t think he would. She was the joy of his life, the apple of daddy’s eye. He retired and devoted his time to being and outstanding husband and father. Donnie passed away on January 2nd, 2024, at their home.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers’ Miles and John Seward, and sisters, Bonnie Fields, Violet Higgins, Wanda Cotham, and Brenda Peterson, brothers in laws, Glen Fields, Curtis Higgins, Terry Cotham, and Ollie Pendergraft. Along with a number of beloved nephews and nieces, including Paul, Carla Sue, Jeffery, Dewayne, Crystal, Kenneth, Wesley and Kevin.

He is survived by his wife Julie of the home, daughter Hannah and husband Daniel Pappan of Kaw City, sister Linda Pendergraft of Deer Creek, sister-in-law Cathy Seward of Claremore, brother- in-law Ben Sims of Union City, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.

Celebration of life will be held Saturday, the 13th of January at 2pm at the Carolyn Renfro Hospice Center in Ponca City. His ashes will be interred at Fairfax Cemetery, later that afternoon.

The family would like to express their extreme gratitude to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital staff and the North Central Oklahoma Hospice for their amazing care of Donnie in his last days.

Paid Obituary