Richard Charles Seemann died September 13, 2026, following a brief illness. He was born April 18, 1945, in Davenport, Iowa, to Charles Edward Seemann and Blanche (Lineau). In his youth, he lived and worked on his family farm near the Mississippi River. At age 11, he and his family moved into town after ceding farmland for the continued construction of Interstate 280.

After graduating from Davenport West High School in 1963, he continued his education at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1972. At ISU, he was a member of the Tau Beta Pi and Omega Chi Epsilon honor societies.

As a graduate student, he met Marilyn Craig, a lab technician at Ames Lab, while she drew his blood during a routine checkup. They married in December 1973 in Bloomfield, Iowa.

After graduating from ISU, he worked for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, before relocating to Marshalltown, Iowa, to join Fisher Controls in 1974. He remained with Fisher after relocating to Georgetown, Texas, in 1985, and when Emerson Electric purchased the company in 1992. He retired from Emerson Process Management, Life Sciences Industry Center, in 2011. His work included multiple projects, travel, and leading training sessions, as well as authoring numerous articles and texts, including the book, Distillation Columns.

He was active in Scouting with his sons and later served as Scoutmaster of Troop 151 in Georgetown between 1989 and 1996. He spent several weekends camping and taste-testing food. He hiked three treks at Philmont Scout Ranch between 1991 and 1997, though his proudest accomplishment was seeing both his sons reach the rank of Eagle Scout.

Over the years, his interests ranged from gardening, cooking, reading, and cocker spaniels to ISU athletics, which he faithfully supported, never missing televised games of football or men's and women's basketball.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; sons Craig and Brian (Jennifer); cousin Lynda Wagner; and several nieces and nephews from Marilyn's extended family. Memorial services will be held at 2 PM on Friday, December 11, 2026, at St. John's Methodist Church in Georgetown.

Memorials may be made to the ISU Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering or the Cocker Spaniel Rescue of Austin and San Antonio.