Obituary of ANITA SEAMAN

Anita Seaman passed away peacefully at home on June 4, 2021. It was her 84th birthday. She was surrounded by her loving family. Anita was born June 4th, 1937 in the Bronx to Jack and Helen (Hack) Barst. She had a great childhood, which included trips to Coney Island every Sunday for family dinners with all her cousins, until she contracted polio at the tender age of 7. It paralyzed her from the neck down. At the Hospital for Special Surgery she received the Sister Kenny treatment, which consisted of applying hot compresses to the affected limbs of patients. This helped heal her, and after many muscle-transplant surgeries to her right leg, she was able to achieve total independence with but a limp. After several years of hospitalization, she was able to return to school and even graduate early (age 16) from Walton High School in the Bronx, the nearest school with an elevator. She went on to attend The University of Bridgeport for two years, where she studied pre-med. She was the only female in the program and since there were no laws for people with disabilities, was forced to stand through all her lab courses, which made her change her major from medicine to education. She ultimately received her elementary education degree from New York University a couple of years later, and began teaching kindergarten in the Bronx, which she loved. In 1957, she married Stanley Seaman at The Abalon in the Bronx. A few years after their first son, Ross, was born, they moved to Canarsie, Brooklyn and then, in 1963, moved to Matawan, New Jersey. After two more children, Lon and Stacy, and many years in Matawan, Stan and Anita moved in with daughter Stacy, her husband Alex, and their children Harrison and Lily for the next 19 years, until her passing. Anita was a wonderful and beloved 5th grade teacher at Strathmore Elementary School for many years, and her classes’ musicals became legendary. She was very musical, and passed that onto her children. She loved attending her children’s and grandchildren’s concerts, recitals and plays. Anita loved her family more than anything and was always concerned with their well-being and happiness. She was also always open for a conversation, often speaking to people for hours on the phone. Anita was a loyal friend to many and you were blessed to call her a friend. She struggled with the loss of Stan in 2013. Anita is survived by three children: Ross Seaman (Donna Starker), Manalapan, NJ; Lon (Angela) Semansky, Sioux Falls, SD; Stacy (Alex) Towle, Holmdel, NJ; 8 grandchildren: Hannah, Lacey, Gabs, Benjamin, Jake, Harrison, Noah, and Lily; one great-grandchild: Mila; one sister: Maxine Pesner and family, Plainview, NY. She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents. Funeral service will take place Monday, June 7, at 11:30 am at Beth Israel Cemetery, Rt 1 & Woodbridge Center Drive, Woodbridge NJ.