1931
William
2015
William 'Bill' Selby
August 26, 1931 — December 23, 2015
Bill Selby, 84, longtime resident of Brewster, Kansas died peacefully Wednesday, December 23, 2015, at the Good Samaritan Society—Sherman County in Goodland, Kansas.
He was born William Charles Selby on August 26, 1931, the son of Stella May (Scarlett) and William Ocie Selby. He was born in Dover, Oklahoma, enroute to the hospital. During the fourth year of his life, he developed double pneumonia and was not expected to survive.
Bill graduated from Brewster High School with the class of 1950. He then served in the United States Army from December of 1950 through December 1952, in the 24th Infantry Division, machine gun squad, during the Korean War.
After honorable discharge from military service, he attended Oklahoma A & M (Oklahoma State University), graduating in 1957 with a degree in Soils and Crop Research. In 1958, he worked on his master’s degree at Kansas State University. The G.I. bill, plus wrestling scholarships enabled him to complete his education. For two years, he was a member of the national champion wrestling team at Oklahoma A & M (Oklahoma State University).
Bill was hired as the vocational agriculture teacher at the Brewster High School from 1958 through 1970. In 1970, he entered full-time farming in the Brewster area.
On May 25, 1959, he and Eva Lou Sire, also a Brewster teacher, were married. They celebrated their 56th anniversary this year. Three little boys trained them to become parents: Lonnie, Fort Hays State cum laude graduate and farmer; Brent, Bethany College music major, who preceded Bill in death on August 30, 2002, at the age of forty-one; and Ocie, a West Point and Kansas State University graduate, an engineer with Caterpillar Company in Lafayette, Indiana.
Bill was dedicated to numerous civic organizations and community services, among those in which he was still active were: Board of Supervisors of the Sherman County Conservation District since 1972; Veterans of Foreign Wars—Lowell Coleman Post 1133 since 1953, serving in local post and district positions; Masonic Lodge of Colby and Shriners for fifty years; Goodland Elks Lodge 1528, serving more than 40 years; Brewster City Council, beginning in 2009; Brewster Lions Club for fifty years; the Brewster United Methodist Church, and the local Boy Scout leader for twelve years.
Preceding him in death were his son Brent Selby, his parents, brother Bruce Selby, sister Maytha Starns, and sister Nadine Struckhoff.
Surviving family includes his wife Eva of the family home in Brewster; son Lonnie Selby and his wife Patricia of Brewster; son Ocie Selby and his wife Laurie of Lafayette, Indiana; brother Jim Selby and his wife Dona of Council Grove; three grandsons Joel and his wife Kassie of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Karman and his wife Hannah of Nashville, Tennessee; and Devan of Brewster; and numerous cousins.
The funeral will be Wednesday, December 30, at 10:00 AM Central Time, at the United Methodist Church in Brewster, with Pastor Mike Baughn officiating. Burial, with military honors, will follow in the Brewster Cemetery.
Friends may share their respects on Wednesday, December 30, one hour prior to the service at the church.
Memorials may be designated to the Northwest Kansas Animal Shelter or the Brewster United Methodist Church, and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons Funeral Home, 211 N. Main, Goodland, KS 67735-1555.
Online condolences: www.koonsfuneralhome.com
He was born William Charles Selby on August 26, 1931, the son of Stella May (Scarlett) and William Ocie Selby. He was born in Dover, Oklahoma, enroute to the hospital. During the fourth year of his life, he developed double pneumonia and was not expected to survive.
Bill graduated from Brewster High School with the class of 1950. He then served in the United States Army from December of 1950 through December 1952, in the 24th Infantry Division, machine gun squad, during the Korean War.
After honorable discharge from military service, he attended Oklahoma A & M (Oklahoma State University), graduating in 1957 with a degree in Soils and Crop Research. In 1958, he worked on his master’s degree at Kansas State University. The G.I. bill, plus wrestling scholarships enabled him to complete his education. For two years, he was a member of the national champion wrestling team at Oklahoma A & M (Oklahoma State University).
Bill was hired as the vocational agriculture teacher at the Brewster High School from 1958 through 1970. In 1970, he entered full-time farming in the Brewster area.
On May 25, 1959, he and Eva Lou Sire, also a Brewster teacher, were married. They celebrated their 56th anniversary this year. Three little boys trained them to become parents: Lonnie, Fort Hays State cum laude graduate and farmer; Brent, Bethany College music major, who preceded Bill in death on August 30, 2002, at the age of forty-one; and Ocie, a West Point and Kansas State University graduate, an engineer with Caterpillar Company in Lafayette, Indiana.
Bill was dedicated to numerous civic organizations and community services, among those in which he was still active were: Board of Supervisors of the Sherman County Conservation District since 1972; Veterans of Foreign Wars—Lowell Coleman Post 1133 since 1953, serving in local post and district positions; Masonic Lodge of Colby and Shriners for fifty years; Goodland Elks Lodge 1528, serving more than 40 years; Brewster City Council, beginning in 2009; Brewster Lions Club for fifty years; the Brewster United Methodist Church, and the local Boy Scout leader for twelve years.
Preceding him in death were his son Brent Selby, his parents, brother Bruce Selby, sister Maytha Starns, and sister Nadine Struckhoff.
Surviving family includes his wife Eva of the family home in Brewster; son Lonnie Selby and his wife Patricia of Brewster; son Ocie Selby and his wife Laurie of Lafayette, Indiana; brother Jim Selby and his wife Dona of Council Grove; three grandsons Joel and his wife Kassie of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Karman and his wife Hannah of Nashville, Tennessee; and Devan of Brewster; and numerous cousins.
The funeral will be Wednesday, December 30, at 10:00 AM Central Time, at the United Methodist Church in Brewster, with Pastor Mike Baughn officiating. Burial, with military honors, will follow in the Brewster Cemetery.
Friends may share their respects on Wednesday, December 30, one hour prior to the service at the church.
Memorials may be designated to the Northwest Kansas Animal Shelter or the Brewster United Methodist Church, and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons Funeral Home, 211 N. Main, Goodland, KS 67735-1555.
Online condolences: www.koonsfuneralhome.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William 'Bill' Selby, please visit our flower store.