Richard Crosby Sealy

Graveside services for Mr. Richard C. Sealy were held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2020, at Calvary Mausoleum of Lafayette, with Father Gary Schexnayder officiating the services.

Acadiana has lost a great supporter, a kind and generous mentor to many, an inventor and a special father and grandfather. Richard Crosby Sealy (January 23, 1923 – June 28, 2020) left his earthly home for another kind of paradise, to be rejoined with his beloved Sybil and their son Richard Timothy who predeceased them both.

His autobiographical book (a set of essays) in 2005 left us all with a precious gift of his personal memories, his wonderful humor, and stories of his family. New Iberia native Richard C. Sealy, a licensed professional engineer, graduated from SLI (now U-L) with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and continued his education at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He left as a commissioned officer and served on active sea duty for the next two and a half years in the Pacific theatre during and after WWII — first on a light cruiser as a division officer and later as assistant chief engineer on a small aircraft carrier.

In 1946, he married Sybil Beaullieu of Jeanerette and fathered three children, Lindrea, Richard (deceased) and Virginia.

He began his career as a mechanical engineer for a manufacturer of sugar cane harvesting machinery, as a plant engineer for a chemical company at Weeks Island and as a sales engineer for a New Orleans company selling construction and industrial equipment.

In 1954, he started a wholesale supply business in Lafayette, selling equipment, parts and supplies to dealers and contractors in the new industry of air conditioning and refrigeration. When the company was sold in 1980 it included 40 employees and branch operations in New Iberia and Lake Charles. During this period, his firm was a member of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Wholesalers or ARW. After representing our Region 12 for several years, he was elected to the thirteen-member National Board of Directors, serving until his retirement.

Success inspired him to develop other enterprises that required invention and business skills, including water purification, home construction and a 19-year investment in laundry equipment on the USL (now U-L) campus.

Richard is survived by his two daughters, Virginia Sealy and Lindrea Sealy; his grandchildren Juliette Owens, Celia Howes, Hannah Caplan and Grant Caplan; and five great-grandchildren, Gavin and Benjamin Owens and Louisa, Sybil and Teddy Andersen.

The family is grateful for the tender and loving care in recent months of Priscilla and Sarah Anson and home health nurse Leslie Carrere.

Special appreciation is felt for the loving attention given by his daughter Virginia during his final years.

View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com.

Martin and Castille – Downtown – 330 St. Landry St., Lafayette, LA 70506, 234-2311.