Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and community leader
Jean Seaward. (Courtesy photo)
Jean (Bedell) Seaward, 97, of Littleton, died peacefully surrounded by family in January 2025. She was the beloved wife of the late Robert W. Seaward for 58 years. Jean was born in Lowell to Harold and Florence (Koford) Bedell. She grew up in Lowell, graduated from Lowell High School, and later received her Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University. Both Jean and Bob were educators in the Concord-Carlisle Public Schools.
In 1957, combining their knowledge and expertise in summer camping with their experience in teaching and youth development, Jean and Bob purchased three parcels of pasture land and established Camp Nashoba on Fort Pond. Jean was the co-founder of Camp Nashoba Day along with her husband Bob. She continued to direct Camp Nashoba with her daughters after Bob’s death in 2008.
She had a number of interests and hobbies, including gardening, reading, tennis, birding, exercising, walking, cross-country and downhill skiing, ice skating, sailing, singing, dancing, dogs, and horses.
Jean was passionate about “the camp experience” and all that it stands for: leadership, compassion, team building, confidence building, positivity, fun, community, and love of nature. “Miss Jean” instilled these values and many more in tens of thousands of young people over the last 67 years.
She was a member of the following organizations: American Camp Association New England; Massachusetts Camping Association (recipient of the Pioneers in Camping Award); Massachusetts Audubon Society; and the Congregational Church of Littleton. Jean received the honor of a Rotary International Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Littleton.
She is survived by her three daughters: Marcia Marcantonio, and her husband, Joseph Marcantonio, of Littleton; Janet Seaward and her husband, Matthew Durkin, of Littleton; and Sarah Seaward of Littleton; as well as her three grandchildren: Christina Marcantonio of Boston, Carolyn Marcantonio of Chicago, Illinois, and Harrison Greene of Ithaca, New York.
A camp scholarship fund has been established in Bob and Jean’s memory for Camp Nashoba Day. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Robert and Jean Seaward campership. For online donations, http://www.acacamps.org/campership.
Services for Jean will be private. To share a memory or offer a condolence visit www.badgerfuneralhome.com.
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