Pottawattamie County in Iowa
 
Council Bluffs in
Pottawattamie County

Bernadene Ann Sealine

Missing Person – Presumed Deceased

Bernadene Ann Sealine
Age at Report: 67
DOB: April 24, 1926
Weight: 170 lbs.
Height: 5’09”
Race: White
Hair: Grey
Eyes: Blue
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Missing after a catastrophe
Missing From: Pottawattamie County
PCSO Case File Number S21-002322
Council Bluffs, IA
Case Number: SG-93-82
NamUs MP # 20039
Missing Since: July 10, 1993

Bernadene Sealine, 67, of Dexter, Iowa, was reported missing to the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on July 10, 1993 after flood waters swept away the family’s vehicle in Carson, Iowa.

Bernadine [sic] Sealine’s obituary as published in the Daily Nonpareil.

She is presumed dead, but her body has never been recovered. Her case remains listed on both the Iowa Missing Person Information Clearinghouse and on NamUs.

Officials recovered the body of Bernadene’s husband, Donald Sealine, who’d also been inside the vehicle.

According to Bernadene’s obituary, the couple worked together in a trucking operation and also raised sheep.

Memorial services for both Donald and Bernadene Sealine were held at the First Congregational Church of Stuart.

Husband and wife Active Community Members

The mother of three and grandmother of four was active in the Working Band at Fairview Church and Rainbow Girls and also served as a 4-H leader.

Mr. Sealine served with the 21st Combat Engineers in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. He, too, was active in the community, serving as a member of Farm Bureau, president of the Corn Belt Lamb Electronic Market, and was active in the local country lamb and wool growers’ association. He was a 4-H leader for several years.

Foul play is not suspected in Bernadene’s death; she is listed here simply because her remains never were recovered.

About Bernadene Sealine

Bernadene Ann (Kirk) Sealine, the daughter of Gilbert and Beatrice Sampey Kirk, was born in Dallas Center on April 24, 1926. She married Donald L. Sealine at Waukee on March 6, 1955.

Courtesy photo FLH findagrave.com

Bernadene’s date of death is listed as July 10, 1993, the same day her husband died when the couple’s car was swept away in a Pottawattamie County flood.

The couple was survived by three children: sons Bradley of Dexter and Steven of Earlham; and daughter, Loree of New London, Wis.; and four grandchildren.

Bernadene was also survived by a sister, Berniece Hopkins of Perry.

Additionally, Mr. Sealine was survived by two brothers, Clinton of Des Moines and Nyle of Princeton, Mo., and a sister, Charlotte Jensen of Arvada, Colo.

Donald and Bernadene Sealine’s gravestone in Roberts Cemetery in Stanzel, Adair County, Iowa, lists Bernadene’s date of death as the same day as her husband’s death, even though her body was never recovered after flood waters receded.

The couple’s son, Bradley Kirk, died two weeks later on July 26, 1993. He was 37 years old.

Information Needed

If you have any information regarding Bernadene Sealine’s disappearance please contact the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office at (712) 890-2200.

Sources:

• Iowa Dept. of Public Safety Missing Person Information Clearinghouse
• Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office
• National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
• Person Details for Bernadene A. Sealine, “United States Social Security Death Index” — FamilySearch.org
• Bernadene A. Sealine (1926 – 1993) — Find a Grave Memorial
• Donald L. Sealine (1929 – 1993) — Find a Grave Memorial
• Bradley Kirk Sealine (1955 – 1993) — Find a Grave Memorial
• Bernadene Sealine obituary