Rachel Isabel Seaton

Rachel Isabelle Seaton July 19, 1940 - August 27, 2018

Rachel Seaton, beloved mother and teacher, passed away on August 27, 2018, after a long illness.

Rachel Isabelle Seaton (nee Smith) was born and raised in Bakersfield. She played flute in local youth symphonies and the marching band at Bakersfield High School, graduating from BHS in 1958. Rachel attended the University of California in Santa Barbara before graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in education in 1962.

She began her teaching career at Edwards Air Force Base and then taught in Long Beach and at McKee Elementary in Bakersfield before starting a family. Rachel took a break from teaching to raise her two sons, supporting them in their various activities, from being a stage mother and helping with costumes and lines for numerous productions, to being a team parent and super fan for traveling sports clubs.

She returned to education as an aide at Foothill High School, then taught at Casa Loma Elementary and Hort Elementary.

Rachel loved jazz and classical music, traveling, books, and, most of all, her students.

In her retirement, Rachel was active in the Bakersfield Retired Teachers Association and liked nothing more than to pass the day reading mysteries, listening to classical music, and hanging out with her cats.

Rachel is preceded in death by her father Samuel Franklin Smith, her mother Isabelle Ida Smith (nee Wakefield), and her sister Della Claire McDaniel (nee Smith).

Rachel is survived by her sons, Jeffery Thomas Seaton and Gregory Stephen Seaton, her daughter-in-law, Vicki Lynn Seaton (nee Tice), and her grandson, Leland Thomas Seaton.

Per her request, there will be no formal services. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bakersfield SPCA.

Rachel Isabelle Seaton
July 19, 1940 - August 27, 2018

Rachel Seaton, beloved mother and teacher, passed away on August 27, 2018, after a long illness.

Rachel Isabelle Seaton (nee Smith) was born and raised in Bakersfield. She played flute in local youth symphonies and the marching band at Bakersfield High School, graduating from BHS in 1958. Rachel attended the University of California in Santa Barbara before graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in education in 1962.

She began her teaching career at Edwards Air Force Base and then taught in Long Beach and at McKee Elementary in Bakersfield before starting a family. Rachel took a break from teaching to raise her two sons, supporting them in their various activities, from being a stage mother and helping with costumes and lines for numerous productions, to being a team parent and super fan for traveling sports clubs.

She returned to education as an aide at Foothill High School, then taught at Casa Loma Elementary and Hort Elementary.

Rachel loved jazz and classical music, traveling, books, and, most of all, her students.

In her retirement, Rachel was active in the Bakersfield Retired Teachers Association and liked nothing more than to pass the day reading mysteries, listening to classical music, and hanging out with her cats.

Rachel is preceded in death by her father Samuel Franklin Smith, her mother Isabelle Ida Smith (nee Wakefield), and her sister Della Claire McDaniel (nee Smith).

Rachel is survived by her sons, Jeffery Thomas Seaton and Gregory Stephen Seaton, her daughter-in-law, Vicki Lynn Seaton (nee Tice), and her grandson, Leland Thomas Seaton.

Per her request, there will be no formal services. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bakersfield SPCA.