Obituary of Wilbur Sellman

Wilbur Eugene "Will" Sellman passed away on October 4th after a short, but valiant battle with cancer. He died peacefully with his wife of 71 years by his side. Will was born in Nampa, Idaho on May 22, 1921 to Jack C. and Lillian L. Sellman; he was the fifth of eight children. Will was raised on the family farm and attended school in Glenns Ferry. He met the love of his life there and married Thelma Lorraine Eldridge on June 16, 1940. They soon had two sons, Wilbur Jr. and Wayne. Raising the family was interrupted by WWII when Will entered the US Army in 1943. He was assigned to the 870th Army Engineers and served on Okinawa rebuilding the airport. He was proud of his service, but said they'd have a hell of a time getting him to go back again! At the end of WWII, Will was reunited with his family in Glenns Ferry. In 1946 Will and Lorraine welcomed a daughter Aleta, and in 1951 a son Roger. In 1947 Will started a successful construction company and worked on projects in Elmore County and the Treasure Valley. Construction projects completed in the Elmore County area were several residential homes and the King Hill Idaho State Truck Weigh Station. In 1957, Will purchased property in Boise County which he and his family spent several years developing into the Haven Lodge and swimming pool. During these years Will maintained a construction company in the Boise Valley where he did general utility contractor work and demolition contracts. Significant projects included the demolition of the Dewey Palace in Nampa, Idaho and St. Teresa's Academy in Boise. A very memorable project was building a cabin for Tennessee Ernie Ford in Grandjean, Idaho. Will's father taught him the carpenter trade when he was 15 and those skills served him well throughout his life. The years spent developing the Lowman, Idaho Haven Lodge property into a successful business resulted in making many life-long friends who became part of their extended family. The Lodge was hard work, but there was also plenty of time for snowmobiling, fishing, and hunting. In spite of the hard work and long hours, both Will and Lorraine say it was the best years of their lives. After a short stay in Donnelly, Idaho, retirement in the 1980's took Will and Lorraine to Western Washington where they fulfilled a life-time dream of boating, fishing, shrimping, and crabbing...all activities were shared with family and friends. They also enjoyed several years of traveling in their motor home to Alaska, Virginia, and many places in between. Again, most of those trips included several friends. Will and Lorraine returned to Idaho in 1993 settling in Kuna. Will always had a project to keep him busy; whether it was working in his shop, tending a garden, or caring for the alfalfa field. Will loved the out-of-doors and hunted and fished most of his life. He shot his last deer at the age of 89. He also enjoyed shooting pool with his Lowman pals most Thursday afternoons. Will is survived by his wife, Lorraine; children Wilbur Sellman, Jr. (Cece) of Lenore, ID; Wayne Sellman (Davy) of Eagle, ID; Aleta Ward of Puyallup, WA; and Roger Sellman (Mina) of Kuna, ID; brother Dr. Jack Sellman of Cleburn, TX; 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 10 great-great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Will was preceded in death by his parents and six of his siblings; Evelyn McAnulty, Norman Sellman, Lloyd Sellman, Chester Sellman, Inez Keen, Emma Sellman, and a granddaughter, Kari Lynn Johnson. The family would like to thank Dr. Norman Zuckerman, the nurses at Meridian MSTI, and the staff at Country Time Assisted Living in Star for their wonderful care. A viewing will be held on Tuesday, October 11th from 4-7 p.m. at Summers Funeral Homes, Ustick Chapel. Services will take place on Wednesday, October 12th at 11:00 a.m. at Summers Funeral Homes, Ustick Chapel with the graveside following at Cloverdale Cemetery.