National Weather Service’s Amy Seeley, dubbed ‘queen of the lakes’ for keeping sailors safe, dead at 49

When Amy Seeley first showed up at gatherings of Great Lakes boat captains, some remarked about the “cute little blonde.”

Then, she started talking about pressure gradients, frontal boundaries, wind velocities and wave patterns.

The grizzled mariners paid attention. They realized that, when the lakes turn from tranquil to treacherous, Ms. Seeley could help keep them safe. She commanded their respect, gratitude and affection. They called her the “queen of the lakes.”

“Every sailor knew her,” said Bob Schallip, president of the Great Lakes Captains Association.

“She was the sailor’s darling,” said Mark Mather, grand president of the International Ship Masters Association.

“She was so knowledgeable and effervescent,” Schallip said. “When she was in the room, there was hollerin’ and life.” When the captains played blackjack to raise money for scholarships, “Her blackjack table was the most crowded because she was so much fun.”

Ms. Seeley, 49, died last month at Evanston Hospital of complications from a stroke.

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She’s believed to have been the National Weather Service’s first female port meteorological officer, according to the agency’s Romeoville office, where she worked for nearly 30 years.

“She had a life of service,” said her fiance Richard Jenkins. “In her job at the weather service, she helped keep people safe. And in her other endeavors, with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the International Ship Masters, she helped to protect mariners and boaters.”

Schallip said: “Her objective was to find out, ‘What instruments can I give you to make your journey safer?’ ”

“Here’s a new website you need to look at,” she’d urge. Or: “Load this weather app on your phone.”

One time when Schallip was on Lake Superior, pulling a dredge to Sault Ste. Marie that couldn’t take much buffeting, he called her. “Amy,” he said, “give me your best guess when I can get four days of flat water.”

“Bob,” he remembers she told him, “it’s December. You’re on Lake Superior, and you want me to tell you when you’re going to have flat water for four days? It’s not going to happen. Call me in August!”

Born in the suburbs of Cleveland, she was the daughter of Jacqueline and Dale Gustafson. Her dad was a crop forecaster. Her farmer-grandfather showed her how to track weather using a thermometer and barometer.

After moving to Illinois, she went to Downers Grove North High School.

While studying meteorology at Northern Illinois University, she became a weather service trainee.

“She learned to take observations, maintain weather instruments, collect climate information and write public, aviation and marine forecasts,” according to a weather service tribute.

Coworkers and relatives said she endured wardrobe suggestions early on from a supervisor who asked, “Why don’t you put on a pretty little dress?”

Ms. Seeley persevered. “She would travel and install equipment on Great Lakes ships, like the freighters, and then teach the crews how to use the equipment and submit weather reports,” according to the weather service’s Eric Lenning.

“She was the most dynamic presenter,” said Mike Wiedel of the ship masters group. “She had a wonderful sense of humor.”

She also handled calls from the public and the news media.

Recently, Lenning said, she was promoted to the post of observing program leader. She would have managed volunteer weather-watchers in 23 counties in Illinois and Indiana.

Ms. Seeley also was a district captain and webmaster with the volunteer U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, handling weather education for United States Power Squadrons boating group, according to Wiedel and Tom Mullally, a commander with the auxiliary.

At work, “She was always the one that remembered special events and would prompt others to sign a card or chip in for flowers,” Lenning said. “She maintained the phone system, the website and climate records.”

She collected cow calendars, mugs and figurines. While house-hunting, she spotted an auspicious sign in her and Jenkins’ future backyard. “There was a lifesize cutout of a cow,” he said, “and she said, ‘Richard, this is it!’ ”

Ms. Seeley loved her cats Jake, Elwood and Sox.

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She liked watching NASCAR races and brewing beer.

She thought the movie “Twister” was a Hollywood assemblage of weather inaccuracies but never tired of “Moonstruck.” “ ‘Who doesn’t love Cher?’ ” she’d say.

Ms. Seeley dyed her hair blond, red, pink, blue or purple. She had tattoos of daisies, her favorite flower, and the semicolon symbol for suicide awareness.

“She said, ‘It’s not that hard to help someone who’s in trouble,’ ” Jenkins said. “ ‘You can just ask a question — Are you OK?’ ”

In addition to her parents and fiance, Ms. Seeley is survived by her sister Kristen Helou; niece and nephew Gracie and Matthew Helou and Jenkins’ children Rachel and Charles. A celebration of her life is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at ZumBier Brewery in Waukegan.