Leonard M. Seale of 89 Hillcrest Road passed peacefully on Saturday morning, December 28, 2024. He was 95.
Leonard was born on October 17, 1929, the son of Luttrell and Rose Seale of Detroit. He had one sister, Louise E. Seale of Hialeah, Florida, who predeceased him.
He leaves behind his beloved wife of 71 years, Martha Drake Seale, son David Seale of Chelmsford, and daughter Ellen Hall of Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Leonard has five grandchildren: Christopher, Brandon, Nicole, John, and Kylie. He also has five great-grandchildren: Aurora, Kayden, Vanessa, Leia, and Charlotte. Len considered family as the most important aspect of life and was always there for support, guidance, and love.
Len graduated from Cooley High School in Detroit in 1947. He then attended Wayne University, where he met and fell in love with Martha. When he saw Martha, he said, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry,” and he did. Martha Jane Drake and Leonard M. Seale were married on March 28, 1953, at the Bushnell Congregational Church in Detroit.
He graduated from Wayne with a B.S. in general sciences in 1952. He then continued to get his M.S. in industrial psychology in 1953, also from Wayne. Len attended Ohio State University, where he received his Ph.D. in experimental statistics in 1955.
Len joined the United States Navy in 1955 as a commissioned officer. Len was stationed in Pensacola, Florida, where he completed his flight school training. Len left the Navy with an honorable discharge and the rank of commander.
While with the Navy, Len, along with John Cord, wrote a paper about putting a manned base on the moon. That paper later became a book called “The Pilgrim Project” by Hank Searls. The book became the inspiration for a movie called “Countdown” directed by Robert Altman, starring James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Joanna Moore.
He continued his career at Bell Aerospace Systems, where he developed space vehicle design and operations research and wrote space repair manuals.
In 1967, he left Bell and continued his career in environmental technology. He joined G.C.A. Corp. in 1967 as general manager and became president, chairman, and C.E.O. from 1985 to 1986.
From 1986 to 1989, he worked for the Chitin Company, Inc. in Cambridge, working on the development of chemical products manufacturing as president, chairman, and CEO.
Len went on to work at Certified Engineering and Testing of Weymouth from 1989 to 1991.
At the end of his career, in 1991, he joined G.Z.A. Geoenvironmental Technologies, Inc. in Newton as senior vice president of operations. He was promoted to president and C.O.O. in 1993 and C.E.O. from 1994 to 1996. Len was always fond of his time at G.Z.A. and continued with the relationships he founded there.
After his retirement, he continued consulting in business structuring and management until 2015.
Leonard M. Seale was a very driven man in both his career and family. He was one of a kind that will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
Len’s funeral service will be held privately in the Farrar Chapel of the Dee Funeral Home, followed by burial with military honors at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Concord’s town flag will fly at half-staff on Sunday, January 5, 2025, in recognition of his service in the United States Navy.
Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Len’s online guestbook, visit DeeFuneralHome.com.
