Seth Morton, formerly of St. Thomas, passes away.

Just learned a college classmate passed away recently. Hadn't seen him in a long, long time. He lived on St. Thomas for a while, and I thought I'd pass along the sad news for any that knew him. R. I. P. Seth

SETH WILLIAMS MORTON

by Steve Morton

Seth W. Morton passed away on May 18, 2016 in Brunswick, Maine.

Seth was born on December 21, 1963 in Portland, Maine the youngest of five sons to parents, Douglas and Deborah Morton of Brunswick, Maine. Seth had a wonderful childhood growing up playing sports and having fun with his brothers and friends on Magean Street and the neighborhoods surrounding Bowdoin College. He spent countless days practicing his moves at Dayton Arena and Pickard Field and fooling around on Casco Bay in the summers. He attended Brunswick schools where he played varsity soccer, hockey and lacrosse in high school and won the coveted “Prettiest Smile” award as a senior, an early nod to his infectious smile and outgoing personality.

Seth attended Boston University for a year before transferring to Hobart College, where he graduated with his twin brother, Steve, in the Class of 1986. Seth was a member of the varsity hockey team at Hobart and a brother at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, a mid-1980’s version of The Merry Pranksters. Seth and his band of Tau siblings mixed their academic pursuits with grand parties and lots of Grateful Dead touring. If The Dead were playing within 1,000 miles of Hobart you could bet Seth and his friends were on their way. Seth’s love of The Grateful Dead was well known and his bootleg tape collection and attendance at hundreds of shows are testaments to his loyalty. During summers of his college years, Seth lived in Ogunquit, Maine where he made lifelong friends and spent carefree days on the beach playing Frisbee and nights working as a waiter at The Whistling Oyster.

Seth moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands shortly after graduating from Hobart where he began his career as a building contractor working with Bruce Marshall Construction and spending weekends on the water. During his eight years in St. Thomas, Seth was an avid sailor who raced with Peter Holmberg and, as a member of the VI Match Racing Team, he sailed competitively in prestigious events throughout the Caribbean, Europe and the U.S. His love of sailing and the amazing friends he made in St. Thomas lasted to his final days.

In 1994, Seth and his soon-to-be wife, Carla Levene, moved from St. Thomas to California to start a family and new life in Marin County. Seth loved the open space and people in Marin. He shared the free-spirited, Northern California lifestyle with so many close friends. He spent his days running his contracting business, working alongside Carla in their executive recruiting company and raising their remarkable daughter, Siena, in the small town of Woodacre where he built a beautiful home for his family. Seth, Carla and Siena lived an idyllic California life traveling to music festivals, hiking and spending time with friends. Seth and Carla parted ways in 2010, but they shared a loving bond until his death.

In 2013, Seth was reunited with Nina McKee. The two had remained close since their early days growing up in Brunswick together. In 2014, they became engaged and Seth moved to Washington, Virginia to be with Nina, her daughter Lily, two standard poodles and eleven horses and to pursue their dreams together – creating a farm on 36 beautiful acres in Virginia horse country, traveling, riding their horses and restoring Xanadu II, a 48-foot mahogany yawl formerly owned by Nina’s grandfather on which they had many sailing adventures together during Seth’s college years and one day was to have served as their family getaway to the Caribbean and Pole Island, Maine.

Seth was a born athlete. In addition to being an incredible hockey player, ultimate Frisbee player, and sailor, he also skied, golfed, and windsurfed. He took up riding late in life and was a natural. He even tried polo and loved it. Seth was an absolute animal lover and recently had started volunteering at a cat shelter. He excelled at crossword puzzles and started each day with one. Though he played no instrument, he enjoyed listening to all types of music, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than sharing his love of music with his friends and family, particularly Siena.

Seth never stopped dreaming. He had so many interests and so much to live for. He made friends all over the world and had an unbreakable bond with his four brothers that brought them together often to share great times. No one had a bigger smile than Seth and no one packed more life into 52 years. He was a kind, spiritual being who made everyone around him laugh with his wild hair, crazy outfits and uncanny ability to remember every movie line from the worst comedies ever created. If Seth was around, it was fun. His sense of humor, humility and love of life were irresistible. He was a hard-working, down to earth guy who faced colon cancer with tremendous courage and never gave up hope. He passed away surrounded by his family who held him until his final breath.

Seth is survived by his daughter, Siena Rayne Morton, of San Anselmo, California and his fiancée, Nina Carter McKee, of Washington, Virginia. He is also survived by his parents, Douglas and Deborah Morton of Brunswick and his four brothers; twin brother Steve, Paul Clark III, Peter Clark and Dana Clark. He had numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and relatives who will miss him greatly. The hundreds of friends whose lives Seth touched are shocked and saddened by his departure at such a young age, but the laughs and moments shared with Seth will be with them forever. Small gatherings in Seth’s favorite places will be scheduled to scatter his ashes and celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers and cards, please consider making a donation in his name to your local animal shelter, raising a glass in his memory, and rooting hard for Seth’s beloved San Jose Sharks to win the Stanley Cup.
Nina Carter McKee's photo.
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