Obituary of Stephen James Seay
Stephen J. Seay
Van Etten, NY Stephen J. Seay of 50 Warner Rd. passed away Sunday (August 6, 2017) at his home.
Born October 4, 1981 in Tampa, FL he was the son of Stephen Frank Seay and Marcia Balcerzak Martinez. Fernando Martinez was a strong presence and a father figure to Stephen for most of his life.
Stephen resided in the Ithaca area and enjoyed many years of playing drums, showing phenomenal versatility and helping to form several bands, especially his first, "New Swags", later re-named "The Bruce Lee Wannabes". He was also proud of his band "Chemical Flaw".
Surviving are his mother Marcia (Pat Stavish) Martinez of Olean; his father Fernando (Tammy) Martinez of Van Etten; his biological dad Stephen (Carol) Seay of Bradenton, FL; a brother Nathaniel Trevor (April Bright) Martinez of Ithaca; 6 sisters Lannette (James) Klahn Bickel of Fort Wayne, IN, Rebecca Elizabeth Seay and Sarah Lynn Seay, both of Bradenton, FL, Julianne (Michelle) Martinez of Lubbock, TX, Sonia (Michael) Parmley of Austin, TX and Mandy (Jack) Hunt of Buford, SC; 3 uncles Philip Balcerzak of Virginia Beach, VA, his Godfather Stephen (Karen) Balcerzak of Olean and Mark (Debra) Balcerzak of Olean; 2 aunts, his Godmother Phyllis Washburn of Hoffman Estates, IL and Rita (Ronald) Williams of Allegany and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family will receive friends on Thursday (August 10, 2017) from 10am to 1pm at the Casey, Halwig & Hartle Funeral Home, 3128 W. State Rd., Olean. By 1pm, those in attendance will be seated. One of Stephen's closest friends, Mike Foster, will lead a service of remembrance and reflection. Burial will follow in St. Bonaventure Cemetery.
The family wishes to thank the many friends and extended family that have shown support to Stephen during his years-long struggle with addiction. Any donations in his memory may be made to an organization whose purpose is to help those faced with this multi-faceted challenge.
