Roll Call Tribute

Gary Alan Seffel, CAPT USN (Ret) 

May 5, 1956 - April 26, 2024 

CAPT Gary Alan Seffel, USN (Ret), 67, passed away on April 26, 2024. Born on May 5, 1956, to Melvin and Marcella (Voigt) Seffel, he was the youngest of four siblings. He grew up in New Braunfels, Texas playing the tuba in the New Braunfels High School Mighty Unicorn Marching Band and spending summers painting the swimming pool in Landa Park.

He followed his two elder brothers and father into the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer, first earning an ROTC scholarship to join the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University, where he was Commanding Officer of the H2 Spartan Company. It was also at A&M that he met his beloved wife of 44 years, Jane, a student-athlete who lived near the Corps dorms and caught his eye across the quad.

Gary and Jane married in New Braunfels in November 1979, while Gary was on a brief leave from Naval flight school in Pensacola, FL. Following training, he became a Naval aviator, flying E2s with VAW 124 Bear Aces. His naval career took him and Jane first to Norfolk, VA and later to Rochester, NY, where he taught ROTC at the University of Rochester while earning his MBA. In 1989, he moved with Jane and their two daughters, Emily and Lauren, to Montgomery Village, MD. He continued his service with the Navy as a reservist, retiring as a Captain in 2008 after 30 years of service and three deployments. Alongside his Naval service, his career took him from Citibank to Northrup Grumman and eventually to the Transportation Security Agency and the National Security Council advising the White House.

A lifelong learner, Gary was never without a history book on his bedside table or a new hobby to pursue. He mastered the techniques of proper strokes to support Emily and Lauren during their many swim meets, learned woodworking to finish the basement in their family home, and became a skilled smoker of fish and meat to enjoy on the weekends. A lover of travel and nature, he and Jane pursued adventures around the globe, including summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2010. In 2015, he combined these passions with his career, moving with Jane to Nairobi, Kenya, where he served for five years as the TSA Attaché for East Africa. After retiring in 2023, Gary was building his dream home in Fredericksburg TX, to share with Jane, his devoted canine companion Bolter, and their family.

Gary was always ready with a joke or story to tell, even if he would often tell the same ones twice (or more). Nothing made him happier than sharing his hobbies with his loved ones, taking the family to Civil War reenactments and rocket launches, and on safaris in Kenya and hikes around MD and TX. A devoted OG (Opa Gary) to his three grandchildren, he was always on the hunt for a new book or postcard to share his travels with them.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Jane; daughter and son-in-law Emily and Larry G. Jones, III of Floresville, TX; daughter and son-in-law Lauren Seffel and Peter Najda of Paris, France; grandchildren Sealy and Larry (LJ) Jones and Sidney Najda; as well as sister-in-law Beverly Seffel of Austin, TX; brother Gerald Seffel and wife Diana Hirras of San Antonio, TX; and sister Jennifer Graham and husband Lee of New Braunfels, TX. He will also be deeply missed by nephew John Seffel; niece Jessica Burtch-Hepburn and husband Ken Hepburn; nephew Chris Seffel; nephew Matthew Burtch and wife Lisa Burtch; and great-nieces Adelaide Burtch and Pippa Hepburn. He is preceded in death by his parents Melvin and Marcella Seffel and brother Joel Seffel.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on May 7, 2024, at First Protestant Church of New Braunfels with the Rev. Dr. Andrew Keuer officiating. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM prior to the service.

Memorials may be sent to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation or the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.