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My father, David Hugh
Selvy was born on May 22, 1942 in a hospital in Salinas,
California to his parents, Harold Lee Selvy and Alice
Theodora Strom Selvy.
At a young age my father’s family family relocated from
Carmel California to the town of Kensington near
Berkeley California.
My dad spent most of his childhood in Kensington where
he had many adventures and misadventures alike…one story
that my dad loved to tell was about an unfortunate
encounter with a rattlesnake.
On this particular day, my dad and his family had
traveled to the Merced River on a summer fishing trip.
My dad went to look for a spot to sit among some rocks
and as my dad always told the story…”after sitting down
he heard “a buzz between his legs…where he performed a
world record standing broad jump.”
My dad moved to Walnut Creek where he attended Pleasant
Hill High School. During his high school years he
enjoyed the sport of Fencing and also studied Classical
Piano for approximately 12 years.
Like most teenagers, dad was interested in trying out
many different sports and recreational activities. He
later joined the Marine Corps “add info about rank as
crew chief”…and was stationed in Camp Pendleton where he
served 6 years serving as Crew Chief on an LVN Amtrak
Tank.
During my father’s time at Camp Pendleton, it was common
to perform live practice drills on the ocean near San
Clemente Island. My dad’s favorite stories was about one
of these practice drills.
On this day his crew was firing 105 millimeter Howitzer
projectiles at various targets on the Pacific ocean.
During this practice drill, one of the projectiles
skipped on the surface of the ocean water similar to how
a rock skips across the water.
The projectile landed on a hillside and collided with a
flock of goats. My dad and his crew were given orders to
go ashore to offer their apologies to the owner of the
unfortunate livestock.
As they approached, the crew was met by a highly
decorated Navy Admiral who happened to be the owner of
the goats. My dad was terrified that he would be
reprimanded by the Admiral who had just lost an entire
flock of goats but he was pleasantly surprised to find
out that the officer was more interested in my father’s
aim than the loss of his livestock.
My dad was relieved when the officer commented on how
impressed he was with the accuracy of where the
projectile had landed…I don’t remember what they did
with the goats but according to dad, the day ended with
beers and barbecue.
I still ask myself to this day…what exactly did they
barbecue?
At some point my father returned home to Walnut Creek
California and there he met my mother, Sharon Irene
Selvy. My dad invited her on a date and was told that
she was only allowed to go if she went with her sisters,
Bonnie and Darlene.
During this time he was enrolled in a degree program at
Armstrong College in Berkeley where he majored in
Business. After my mother and father spent some time
dating, they were married and lived in different places
across California. When my brother and I were young, our
parents settled down in Vacaville.
The years we spent living in this area taught us about
family, our neighbors and friends and thought wasn’t
always easy…through the ups and downs…we learned to
value relationships and the people in our lives.
Some of the fondest memories I have of my father are of
the time we spent together fishing, hunting, camping and
quiet times discussing life while cooking over the
Barbecue grill. It was during these times that dad
shared with me the value of integrity, hard work,
reliability and punctuality.
One of dad’s favorite quotes was “quitters never win and
winners never quit”. Dad always talked about the
importance of working hard to maintain good
relationships with family and friends.
Over the years one of my dad’s favorite things to do was
spending time on the water in their boat called the “Uf
Dah”. information about the boat…
Oh and did I tell you that my dad loved stories?
Dad told stories about the many adventures that he and
mom experienced on their beloved boat and the weekends
they spent with yacht club friends on the water
Dad had a love for extreme sports as well and was a
member of a Jeep club called the “Cliffhangers” where he
was known by the handle “Mountain Climber”. The Jeep
club explored different trails throughout the Sierra
Nevada Mountain region.
Dad was a member of the SCCA where he volunteered as a
Paddock workers and later held the role of Chief Paddock
Marshal.
My father, David Hugh Selvy, lived a life full of
adventures and excitement, he experienced the many ups
and downs in this life as we all do…the stories of his
life could go on and on but the one thing I want to be
sure and tell you about is his commitment to his family…
Dad was our rock…second to my mom. He wasn’t perfect as
no one is…but he was loyal, faithful and he stayed the
course.
My father cared deeply for his wife and children. He
never gave up on us, through the toughest storms of
life…he fought and he stood his ground as a faithful
husband, father, brother and friend
Dad cared deeply about God, country and corp…in that
order. In dad’s words…”Semper Fidelis…it means
something…always faithful.”
Thank you for being here today to join us as we
celebrate my father, David Hugh Selvy’s life.
My father, David Hugh Selvy was born on May 22, 1942 in
a hospital in Salinas, California to his parents, Harold
Lee Selvy and Alice Theodora Strom Selvy.
At a young age my father’s family family relocated from
Carmel California to the town of Kensington near
Berkeley California.
My dad spent most of his childhood in Kensington where
he had many adventures and misadventures alike…one story
that my dad loved to tell was about an unfortunate
encounter with a rattlesnake.
On this particular day, my dad and his family had
traveled to the Merced River on a summer fishing trip.
My dad went to look for a spot to sit among some rocks
and as my dad always told the story…”after sitting down
he heard “a buzz between his legs…where he performed a
world record standing broad jump.”
My dad moved to Walnut Creek where he attended Pleasant
Hill High School. During his high school years he
enjoyed the sport of Fencing and also studied Classical
Piano for approximately 12 years.
Like most teenagers, dad was interested in trying out
many different sports and recreational activities. He
later joined the Marine Corps “add info about rank as
crew chief”…and was stationed in Camp Pendleton where he
served 6 years serving as Crew Chief on an LVN Amtrak
Tank.
During my father’s time at Camp Pendleton, it was common
to perform live practice drills on the ocean near San
Clemente Island. My dad’s favorite stories was about one
of these practice drills.
On this day his crew was firing 105 millimeter Howitzer
projectiles at various targets on the Pacific ocean.
During this practice drill, one of the projectiles
skipped on the surface of the ocean water similar to how
a rock skips across the water.
The projectile landed on a hillside and collided with a
flock of goats. My dad and his crew were given orders to
go ashore to offer their apologies to the owner of the
unfortunate livestock.
As they approached, the crew was met by a highly
decorated Navy Admiral who happened to be the owner of
the goats. My dad was terrified that he would be
reprimanded by the Admiral who had just lost an entire
flock of goats but he was pleasantly surprised to find
out that the officer was more interested in my father’s
aim than the loss of his livestock.
My dad was relieved when the officer commented on how
impressed he was with the accuracy of where the
projectile had landed…I don’t remember what they did
with the goats but according to dad, the day ended with
beers and barbecue.
I still ask myself to this day…what exactly did they
barbecue?
At some point my father returned home to Walnut Creek
California and there he met my mother, Sharon Irene
Selvy. My dad invited her on a date and was told that
she was only allowed to go if she went with her sisters,
Bonnie and Darlene.
During this time he was enrolled in a degree program at
Armstrong College in Berkeley where he majored in
Business. After my mother and father spent some time
dating, they were married and lived in different places
across California. When my brother and I were young, our
parents settled down in Vacaville.
The years we spent living in this area taught us about
family, our neighbors and friends and thought wasn’t
always easy…through the ups and downs…we learned to
value relationships and the people in our lives.
Some of the fondest memories I have of my father are of
the time we spent together fishing, hunting, camping and
quiet times discussing life while cooking over the
Barbecue grill. It was during these times that dad
shared with me the value of integrity, hard work,
reliability and punctuality.
One of dad’s favorite quotes was “quitters never win and
winners never quit”. Dad always talked about the
importance of working hard to maintain good
relationships with family and friends.
Over the years one of my dad’s favorite things to do was
spending time on the water in their boat called the “Uf
Dah”. information about the boat…
Oh and did I tell you that my dad loved stories?
Dad told stories about the many adventures that he and
mom experienced on their beloved boat and the weekends
they spent with yacht club friends on the water
Dad had a love for extreme sports as well and was a
member of a Jeep club called the “Cliffhangers” where he
was known by the handle “Mountain Climber”. The Jeep
club explored different trails throughout the Sierra
Nevada Mountain region.
Dad was a member of the SCCA where he volunteered as a
Paddock workers and later held the role of Chief Paddock
Marshal.
My father, David Hugh Selvy, lived a life full of
adventures and excitement, he experienced the many ups
and downs in this life as we all do…the stories of his
life could go on and on but the one thing I want to be
sure and tell you about is his commitment to his family…
Dad was our rock…second to my mom. He wasn’t perfect as
no one is…but he was loyal, faithful and he stayed the
course.
My father cared deeply for his wife and children. He
never gave up on us, through the toughest storms of
life…he fought and he stood his ground as a faithful
husband, father, brother and friend
Dad cared deeply about God, country and corp…in that
order. In dad’s words…”Semper Fidelis…it means
something…always faithful.”
Thank you for being here today to join us as we
celebrate my father, David Hugh Selvy’s life.
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