- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Hundreds gather to remember Seagrave at Sunday service
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – During a heartfelt Sunday service, hundreds of community residents remembered a Kelseyville man who died after being shot during a Jan. 18 armed robbery, a crime that has given rise to concerns that the town’s once-safe atmosphere has been destroyed.
The 40-minute afternoon memorial service for 33-year-old Forrest Seagrave was held at Kelseyville High School, where he had graduated years before.
Pastor Steve Nesheim, who led the service, said it was a time of “more questions than answers,” as those who knew Seagrave – and the community at large – have struggled with why the friendly and generous young man lost his life in such a violent manner.
From the center, one can look across the street to Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart, where Seagrave had worked since 2006.
It was there that Seagrave had been mortally wounded during the late-night robbery nine days earlier, an act committed by a lone, masked suspect, who shot Seagrave in front of other store employees before running away into the night.
“He was taken from us, he died at his job, the one he loved,” said Nesheim.
Friends said Seagrave had struggled to fit in as a young man, yet he didn’t become resentful. Instead, he had become well known and regarded, a friendly face at the town convenience store, often wearing a funny t-shirt and willing to offer a much-needed dollar – or an ear – for those in trouble.
A picture of Seagrave was projected up on a screen, looking out over the group with the kind, friendly demeanor – and just a hint of mischief – for which he was known and remembered.
Nesheim said he hoped the murderer turns himself in or is caught soon, and that “justice takes its course.”
“Amen!” a woman called from the audience.
Nesheim addressed the fearfulness that has arisen in the community following the murder, which is the kind of crime that Kelseyville residents don’t think of happening in their town.
Kelseyville, Nesheim acknowledged, has been viewed by many as a place largely insulated from that kind of violence.
But a Kelseyville like that is a thing of the past, said Nesheim. “The reality is, that’s not true anymore.”
Nesheim offered mourners a consideration, that they could keep Seagrave’s memory alive by acting as he had in his short life – by being a good neighbor, and caring for one another.
Seagrave’s brother, Nick Wainwright, recalled having the greatest brother in the world, a man who loved everyone. In turn, he asked people to love others the way his brother did.
Seagrave’s friends, brothers Warren and Johnie Finch, also spoke in praise of their friend.
“I know you all understand how good of a person he was,” Warren Finch said.
He added, “I just wish we didn’t have to do this.”
Johnie Finch told the group that it meant a lot that they had all come, and he recounted the “fun, crazy and stupid” things he and his friend had done together.
Rebecca Warner, who like Seagrave worked at the gas station, said she was like a second mother to him, “only a little meaner.”
She said she had never come across a more pure soul, and looking out at the group of people he brought together, she remarked on what an incredible force he was in the community.
Catching Seagrave’s killer, she said, was going to take the efforts of the entire community.
“I won’t rest ‘til this comes to an end,” she said.
While community members have been impatient for an arrest in the murder, sheriff’s detectives have continued to work nonstop as they search for the suspect and follow up on every lead, the agency said late last week.
A $10,000 reward was raised by county Supervisor Rob Brown to help bring in information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.
Brown said he plans to have a two-hour community town hall beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 – also in the Kelseyville High Student Center – in order to begin addressing the town’s crime and public safety issues.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.