Since the beginning of the year, Chuck Seelke and his daughter, Emily Seelke White, had been training for the Blue Ridge Marathon, a trek up Mill Mountain in Roanoke that has changes in elevation of more than 7,000 feet and is billed as one of America’s toughest road races.
Sadly, when the race was held this past Saturday, April 18, White didn’t have her father by her side as she ran this arduous race, her first-ever marathon. Seelke, 60, died in a tragic accident one week prior to the big race. Running alongside White was Seelke’s long-time running buddy, Les Gearhart. For the last dozen miles she was also accompanied by her friends, Ali Patton Wheeler and Kirsten Barney.
In the final stretch of the race, her mother, Teresa Seelke, joined in to be with her as she crossed the finish line. White dedicated the race to her father’s memory.
Chuck Seelke, a retired Virginia state trooper, was a Rockbridge County native, a 1984 graduate of Natural Bridge High School and a criminal justice major at Radford University. He was known for being truly dedicated to the community he served.
“My Dad was such a light in this community,” said White. “We’ve had an outpouring of not only support from our small community but [have heard] so many stories of people meeting my Dad for brief moments but [his] leaving a lasting impact on them. I think if anyone knew my Dad they would consider him truly humble, kind, humorous and maybe a little sarcastic.”
White and her father spent Saturdays from January to April this year training together. “He made running feel lighter with his humor. My Dad had a special way about him. Over the last few months we’[d] created a special bond.”
Seelke was a life-long athlete. At NBHS, he played baseball, football and his favorite sport, basketball. Later, he took up long-distance running. He was a regular participant in many local races such as the Buena Vista Labor Day 5K. He ran multiple marathons, including the Boston marathon.
In 2019, he had to pause his running in order to undergo open-heart surgery. It wasn’t long before he was back on the trail, resuming his running with renewed vigor. He remained a dedicated runner for the rest of his life.
After retiring from the state police in 2021, he took up a new avocation, being a doting grandfather to White’s two daughters, Sloan and Charlie, who became the central focus of his world.
Seelke truly made an impact on everyone he encountered and whose lives were touched by him. As stated in his obituary, “Chuck’s sudden passing leaves an immeasurable void in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. He will be remembered for his strength, his integrity, his deep sense of duty, and most of all, the boundless love he gave so freely to his family.”
A celebration of Seelke’s life will be held Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m., at the double-decker pavilion atop Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista.
