Nestled in the mountains of Montana for a short-term job, Seaver Tarulis Jr. said his eyes were opened to a new world he’d never seen before – one of immutable beauty transcending across generations.

The former city alderman smiled when comparing it to Yorkville, a community caught in-flux, redefining itself through the changes its embraced – some desired, some less so.

Tarulis died at age 84 earlier this month, surrounded by generations of family.

After 10 years of serving the Fourth Ward on City Council, Tarulis left his seat last year to take a spot on the Planning and Zoning Commission. He had previously served on the city’s Park Board.

In an interview following his retirement, Tarulis said people of all ages should become involved with public service because his own experiences taught him goals can actually be accomplished.

“You get a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that you’ve done some good for the city, good for the people,” Tarulis said. “Things I’ve brought up, I’ve seen several of them accomplished. You don’t always get your way. Sometimes people have other opinions. But, you can have differences of opinion and not hate the other side. It’s all been good to me.”

Tarulis said when he was first elected, residents would call and tell him to resist letting the town change in any way. He said there’s forces you can control and some that you can’t. He said the best you can do is take something like the area’s significant growth, and try to shape it into something positive.

Tarulis was born in 1941 in Chicago. He shared 63 years of his life in marriage to Dorothy Gabele. For decades he worked as Director of Plant and Facilities in large hospitals and colleges, according to his obituary.

Tarulis first moved to Yorkville in 2007.

When reflecting on his carer in public service, he said so many of the accomplishments he’s proud of, from the new City Hall to the new Public Works and Parks Department facility have needed a facilities management expertise.

“I’ve been able to put in input from my experiences from my career while also helping build what I was really interested in,” Tarulis said. “It’s hard to provide good services to the community if you don’t have facilities that are there to support your efforts. Those buildings are real great accomplishments.”

When asked what legacy he’d like to leave behind for the next residents to take up the helm at City Council, Tarulis said responsible management of the city starts with strong city planning. He said the city receives so many rezoning requests from developers that it can drown out the city’s own voice in dictating its direction.

“I would like to see the city take a strong position and then look for developers that would fill our needs as we see them,” Tarulis said.

After Tarulis’ retirement, Mayor John Purcell said in an interview that he always respected how “even keel” Tarulis was throughout his tenure representing the city.

“I really valued his experience and background that brought a different perspective on some issues,” Purcell said. “We did a lot of projects together, and I really valued that. It’s nice to have different perspectives, different temperaments, different interests, different expertise. It makes for a stronger board.”

Purcell joked that Tarulis would never shy away from sharing his opinion – even when it bucked others’ opinions on issues.

“He would listen to both sides and have a discussion, he would hear your points and share his own,” Purcell said. “He was always up-front with me and I really appreciated that.”