Mark Matthias Seymour, Sr.

Mark Matthias Seymour, Sr., died Sunday, March 7, 2010 from complications related to cancer. Mr. Seymour was a native of Biloxi, MS and a wonderful, vibrant soul, devoted to his family and friends. He was a native of Biloxi and a 1954 graduate of Biloxi High School where he was such a tremendous athlete that people in the community still make reference to his prowess on the football field. He also graduated from Mississippi State University, claiming rank on the Dean's List and received his Bachelor of Science in Civil/Structural Enginnering in 1959. Besides maintaining his status as a proud and faithful Bulldog, he served on MSU's Dean of Engineering Advisory Board. As part of his service on the Council, he mentored young students to prepare them for their future in the engineering profession. He also gave generously to the Bagley College of Engineering, where there is a room named in his honor at McCain Hall. Mr. Seymour served in the military for eleven years as both a 1st and 2nd Lieutenant, following in his father's footsteps, Mark Seymour, a WWII hero. Mr. Seymour began his career with General Electric, starting in New York, then working at international sites in Brazil, Singapore, and France and returning to the South, via New Orleans, building life sustaining power plants and steel mills. Upon leaving General Electric after fourteen years, he came home to the Gulf Coast he loved so dearly and functioned as the first City Engineer of Ocean Springs. He stayed with the city for eight years and was responsible for many of the projects that give Ocean Springs the charm it has today. He then moved on to peak professionally, as a self made entrepreneur, establishing the successful engineering firm, Moran, Seymour & Associates. At the helm of the company, based in Biloxi, he was responsible for the engineering required to open the first casino on the Gulf Coast, The Isle of Capri in Biloxi, MS. Moreover, his professional genius was behind the structures and retaining walls that safely encase The Isle of Capri Casino in Vicksburg, MS, in the strong currents of the Mississippi River. Always ambitious and vibrant with energy, he continued his professional practice with his son, also a Civil Engineer, Mark Matthias Seymour, Jr. at Seymour Engineering. The father and son team together, built the business into a multi-disciplined, full-service design and development firm. Also among his professional accomplishments, he has designed and supervised the construction of various recreational facilities, waterfront properties, residential subdivisions, water and sewer systems, and wastewater treatment plants. He was affiliated with many organizations. Some of which are as follows: the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas Engineering Societies, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Consulting Engineers Council, the Mississippi Water & Pollution Control Operators Association, and the Mississippi State University Dean's Development Council for Engineers. Moreover, he was a philanthropist and donated many professional and personal hours to the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi Building Committee for ten years. In his free time, he mentored his own children and others by coaching Pee Wee Football and Little League Baseball. He served on the St. Alphonsus Parish Council, and was president of the Ocean Springs YMCA Swim Team Parents Association and the Ocean Springs Rotary Club. His death was addressed at the capitol building in Jackson on Monday by the House of Representatives, with a flag dedicated in his honor. He made Mississippi a better place. His mark on the Gulf Coast, throughout the state of Mississippi and abroad, will live on forever and in the spirit of his family and friends. He lived for his family and they live on through him. He was loved and cherished and his sudden illness and death has been devastating and heart breaking for all those who loved and knew him well. He was a most kind, generous, loving man, and he will be forever missed. He is survived by his wonderful wife of forty-eight years, Constance Seymour, children, Patricia Seymour, Mark Matthias Seymour, Jr., Karen Seymour, grandson Joseph Grispart, sister, Barbara Endt and husband, Robert and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Friday, March 12, 2010 from 5 - 8 p.m. at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. where friends may visit one hour prior to service at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Ocean Springs followed by the burial at Evergreen Cemetery.