Joe Jeffrey Seiders, Jr.

June 21, 1957 – September 9, 2021

Joe Jeffrey Seiders, Jr., age 64, passed away on September 9th after losing his battle to Alzheimer's and Dementia. He was born in Austin on June 21, 1957. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Yvonne; his two daughters Lindsay Evans (husband Hunter); Haley; two grandchildren, Kennedy and Jackson Evans; mother Betty Seiders; and brother Jimmy Seiders. Jeff was preceded in death by his father, Joe Seiders. Jeff was also blessed with the following in-laws: Rose and Sergio Garza (mother and father-in-law); Gayleen Seiders (Jimmy's wife); Norma and Ruben Martinez (sister and brother-in-law); and Ed Garza (brother-in-law). Nieces include Jessi Seiders Maupin (husband Cale); and Alex Garza and Brittany Garza. Nephews include Ryan Garza and Wilson Seiders. Jeff was a wonderful, kind and loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and uncle.

Jeff was a sixth-generation Austinite, the Seiders family having arrived to the area in 1836 and being one of the first families to settle in Austin. The family bought land on Shoal Creek and later in the northern part of Austin for $.25 an acre. Seiders Springs, which runs along Shoal Creek, honors the family's name, legacy, and long distinguished history in central Texas.

Growing up, Jeff fostered close relationships with kids from his neighborhood that continued throughout his life. He attended Reagan High school for the first three years of his high school experience and was in the first graduating class of LBJ High School in 1975. At LBJ, he was co-captain of the wrestling team along with his best friend, Danny Masters.

A lifelong Longhorn fan, Jeff graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering. While attending UT, he met his wife Yvonne and was a member of the Club Wrestling team. Jeff and Yvonne dated throughout college and spent many dates either attending UT sporting events, or dancing disco and country western.

After graduation, Jeff spent the first six years of his engineering career working with Trinity Engineering and Porter-Donoghue Consulting Engineers. In 1987, Jeff began nearly a 25-year career with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) by joining TxDOT's Structural Section (formerly Section I) of the Materials and Tests Division. In 1993, he was appointed as Director of the Structural Section and became the Assistant Director of the Materials & Tests Division shortly thereafter. While serving in this role, the Materials & Tests Division merged into the Construction Division (CST) as the Materials Section and then later as the Materials and Pavements Section of CST, where he served as the Assistant Director of the Section within CST. In 2003, Jeff was appointed Director of CST's Materials and Pavements Section, where he served until his retirement in August 2011. Jeff's dedication and commitment were instrumental in developing TxDOT's first Quality Assurance Program for DB/CDA projects, leading to the current Alternative Delivery Program used statewide. Jeff truly loved his nearly 25 years as a public servant and was recognized by all as a great leader.

Upon retirement from TxDOT, Jeff went to work for Raba Kistner Infrastructure (RKI), where he served as Vice President for eight years. He was RKI's lead in working with companies and agencies nationwide to establish standards for materials and construction quality for large alternative delivery projects. Jeff's tenure at RKI also included a stint as Materials Engineer on the TxDOT D-B Horseshoe Project in Dallas.

Jeff worked with passion, integrity, energy, sincerity, dedication, commitment, and inspiration, always with a smile and a kind word. He was a good friend and mentor to many of his employees and coworkers and a great colleague to the countless people he worked with throughout the highway construction industry. His love for all those he worked with was evident by his unparalleled dedication and commitment.

Jeff loved to water ski at the top of Lake Austin and grew up playing golf at Morris Williams Golf Course. He had a passion for dove hunting and for attending Texas football games with his family. Although Jeff traveled throughout the world, he often indicated that his favorite vacation was attending the Rose Bowl football game for the National Championship. The game will go down in history as the best college football game ever played, but Jeff said it was truly his favorite vacation because he shared it with his family.

Jeff was a loving father to his two daughters Lindsay and Haley. Whether coaching softball or soccer teams, or travelling to dance competitions and soccer tournaments, Jeff was always a dedicated father on the sidelines or in the audience cheering his daughters on. When Haley was on the UT Soccer Club in college, Jeff and Yvonne would travel out of state to attend her games and cheer for the Longhorn team. He truly was a model for being a great "Girl Dad". Jeff beamed with pride for his two girls – their academic and professional achievements, and their strong, kind and caring values. When Lindsay married Hunter, both Jeff and Yvonne couldn't have been more pleased with her life-long choice in partners. The addition of Kennedy in 2013 (first grandchild) brought so much happiness to Jeff, and later when Jackson was born, Lindsay and Hunter honored Jeff by naming him Jackson Jeffrey. Once again, Jeff beamed with pride and gratitude.

While we have lost Jeff too soon, he lived his life to the fullest, and we have many years of cherished memories to carry with us. In the end, " it is not the years in a life, but it is the life in the years"- Abraham Lincoln.

The family wishes to give a special thanks to Poet's Walk Memory Care Facility and Baylor Scott and White Hospice for their loving end of life care. Dr. Richard Steve Lawlis, and nurses Laurie Kwasigroch and Janice Houge were compassionate and tender with Jeff and the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Alzheimer's Texas at txalz.org.

A celebration of life to honor Jeffrey Seiders, his accomplishments and his life's work, both personally and professionally will be held on Friday, October 22, at 2 pm, Texas Exes Alumni Center at 2110 San Jacinto Boulevard in Austin. We request those attending wear burnt orange in honor of Jeff's "Last Tailgate". The family respectfully requests that those attendees that are not fully vaccinated (for Covid) to please wear a mask during the event.

Posted online on September 19, 2021

Published in Austin American Statesman

https://www.statesman.com/obituaries/p0146382