SIDNEY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A year ago on Tuesday, an elderly couple was shot and killed in their rural, Montcalm County home, a stone's throw away from the small village of Sheridan. Michigan State Police ruled it a double homicide. Detectives still haven't solved the crime.
Jessie and Virginia Seward, affectionately referred to as Jess and Ginny by family, were 81 and 80, respectively.
"Every day, you just wonder," Lisa Schodowski said. "When? Why?"
"Wake up, think about it all day long. Go to bed, think about it," Tamara Fisher said.
READ MORE: No arrests, no suspects named in deaths of Montcalm County couple
For the first time — exclusively on FOX 17 — sisters Schodowski and Fisher are sharing their mother and step-father's story. They want to remember them well. They want justice.
"If you know something, just please come forward," Schodowski said about the still-open case that, according to Michigan State Police, has so far come with no arrests and no charges.
"They have taken so much away from everybody. Not just our family, but the community," Schodowski said.
WATCH: "Please just come forward"
Jess and Ginny
A native Texan who served in the U.S. Air Force, Jessie Seward seemed to surround himself with machines. He worked at Extruded Metals in Belding until his retirement, watched stock car races at Crystal Motor Speedway, and spent wintry weekends snowmobiling through Michigan's countryside.
On these snow-covered two-tracks, he got to know a woman named Ginny, a similarly well-seasoned snowmobiler who was born in Maine and "would help anybody in need," according to her obituary.
While Ginny, according to her daughters, "swore" she would never remarry, she and Jess were wed in 1996.
"We were happy to know it was Jess," Fisher said. "Treated all us kids and grandkids like his own."
"He was the best man for my mom," Schodowski said.
They were married for nearly 28 years.
The family
The Sewards were routinely present at family functions, especially if there was a karaoke machine on standby, especially if it had 'Sweet Caroline' on its track list.
"Whatever party was going on, they were always at it. No matter what," Schodowski said.
The two were so committed to their practically perfect attendance rate that, when Jess was recovering from open heart surgery and stuck in the hospital on Easter Sunday, children and grandchildren crammed next to his bedside — carrying with them a baked ham and all the fixings — so he wouldn't miss the celebration of the resurrection.
"He cried and cried," Schodowski said. "They never missed the holidays."
During Christmastime, Ginny made a tradition of singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to family members on the phone, leaving a voicemail if they didn't pick up. She covered the walls of her house with family photos, leaving little space for other decor.
A year since the Sewards' deaths, their absence has been felt so fully, and often in the mundane moments of life.
"Someone will ask you something, and you'll be like, 'Oh, my mom or Jess would have known the answer to that,'" Schodowski said.
"Like, crap. You can't even call them," Fisher said.
LISTEN: Ginny Seward sings a Christmas carol to her daughter over the phone
Stanton Hardware
A week ago at Stanton Hardware, a family business where the Sewards worked in their retirement, a pair of tiny, ceramic angels paid tribute to them. Placed in the parking lot by a stranger, they stood tucked away in the crevice of a concrete barrier until they disappeared, presumably stolen.
"I thought it was wonderful," Schodowski said about the angels.
"[Jess and Ginny] were very well known in the community," she said. "So it affected everybody."
Wherever the husband and wife went on their travels, they seemed to run into someone they knew. Perhaps Jess had met them on a supply run. Perhaps Ginny had checked them out at the cash register.
"Jess would call us and say, 'Guess what?'" Schodowski said.
"We already knew," said Fisher, finishing her sister's sentence. "Mom ran into somebody she knew in New York."
Justice
A zip-tied sign facing the road at Stanton Hardware — "Justice for Ginny and Jessie Seward" — reminds the town to call in tips on the still-open double homicide case. In addition to a photo of the couple, the phone numbers for the Michigan State Police Lakeview Post and Silent Observer are printed on the posting.
"They were good people," Fisher said. "Definitely didn't deserve this."
WATCH: "What is it you miss the most?"
The Sewards were faithful followers of Jesus and attended Greenville Community Church, where Jess was known to hold the hands of his grandchildren for the entirety of the service. They both believed in the hope of heaven. After their passing, family found five different Bibles in their house.
"We want justice," Fisher said. "You took a lot from us and our kids and our grandkids, so please just come forward."
Those with information about the deaths of Jessie and Ginny Seward should call the Michigan State Police Lakeview Post at (989) 352-8444 or the Montcalm County Dispatch at (989) 831-3500. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
