Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) John Keith Selfe, Sr.
Ward Wilson Funeral Home and CrematoryViewed: 1201
Posted by: Ward Wilson
Date: Mar 05 2021 9:35 AM
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) John Keith Selfe, Sr., US Army (retired), passed away peacefully while resting in his favorite easy chair on Friday, February 26, 2021 in Dothan, Alabama. He was 97.
Due to COVID-19, no services are planned. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Dothan, 1380 W Main St., Dothan, AL 36301 (fumcdothan.org).
John was born October 24, 1923 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania to John George and Sarah Brunner Selfe. He graduated from Lock Haven High School in 1941. Two years later, he graduated from the aviation ground pilot program at Lock Haven College. In 1943, while in the enlisted reserves, John was called to active duty. He qualified for the Cadet Corps Aviation program and in 1945 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Army. Soon after, he was sent to England where he flew B-24 bombers in the last year of World War II. While on leave after the war, John met the love of his life, Althea Campagne, while at a USO dance in Lock Haven. They married in 1948 — the same year John became an Army pilot!
In 1951, John was sent on a combat mission to Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division. After his Korean War service, he rejoined his family who were already waiting for him at his next duty station in Japan.
When John returned stateside, he was assigned to Fort Sill, Okla. as an instrument flight instructor to pilots attending the Army Aviation School. A year later, a decision was made to move the school to Camp Rucker, Ala. (now Fort Rucker). With so many pilots transferring to Camp Rucker, John knew that homes would be needed for them. He arranged a meeting with the city fathers of Dothan so he could apprise them of the situation. The year was 1953. Excell Watson, Ted Bauman, and the Malones at First National Bank of Dothan assessed the situation and developed a plan of action. They were instrumental in helping the pilots secure loans, good interest rates, and purchase homes.
After his assignment as an instrument flight instructor at Camp Rucker, John was one of three pilots selected to be on the flight team of Major General John B. Maderis at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. The Army had taken over the missile program there and Maderis was in command. From 1956-1960, John flew Maderis, Dr. Werhner Von Braun, and the rest of the missile team involved in the “Jupiter C” program to cities throughout the United States to promote the program and also flew them to the launch test sites in Florida.
During his last few years in the service, John trained as a helicopter pilot and later learned to fly the Grumman Mohawk airplane. In 1967, he did a tour in Vietnam as the senior logistics analyst. Afterwards, he returned to Fort Rucker where he was Director of Services there. John’s final tour of duty was in the Azores, Portugal as US Army Transportation Terminal Commander.
John served his country with love, honor, and pride for 29 years. He was the recipient of innumerable medals, ribbons, and commendations for his service and bravery to his country. One such brave act was when he was flying an L-19 Cessna in Korea. John heard an SOS on his radio from another pilot. The pilot’s plane had been hit by enemy fire and half the wing on the aircraft had been shot off. John was able to maintain communication with the pilot. He instructed him on what to do, helped escort the pilot and his disabled plane to friendly lines, and then to a long enough airstrip where the pilot could safely land.
After retirement, John bought The Country Corner, a used furniture and antiques store in Dothan. Later, he worked for Bell Helicopter International in Tehran, Iran and Bell Helicopter Textron. In 1990, he was pulled out of retirement to take part in the Army Aviation logistics support effort for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. And then he retired, again!
John was the patriarch of his family and constant source of strength to them. He believed in God, honesty, hard work, determination, and saving for the future. He imparted those same values to his children. John was humble, kind, a charmer, full of wit, and had a mischievous nature (which his sisters will attest to). He was a weaver of stories, a reciter of poems, and a singer of songs. His favorite, “Old Hiram Goat”, he sang so many times to his children and grandchildren that the song is now embedded on their hearts. He was also a relentless prankster and enjoyed pranking his children with his “pull-my-finger” trick which they fell for over-and-over! John thought he was fashion-savvy and would often shock his family with some of his color choices. His favorite combination was a blazing red sweater worn with baby blue socks!
John had many hobbies, interests, and things he was fond of during his 97 years: He was an avid duplicate bridge player. For over 40 years, he was a member of the Dothan Duplicate Bridge Club. He liked sports. Nothing pleased him more than watching a good ole’ Alabama Crimson Tide football game or watching the Atlanta Braves play. He also enjoyed traveling. During his lifetime, he traveled extensively and moved 55 times including to Japan, Germany, Portugal, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Throughout his years, he liked hunting with his sons and others, gardening, watching and listening to the stock market (at volume 62), collecting and tinkering with old clocks, buying, selling, and investing. He loved food — passionately! Some of his favorites were: prime rib, clam spaghetti, chicken and waffles, raw oysters on the half shell, son Carl’s sourdough bread, spaghetti and meatballs, graham crackers and milk, apple pie, and Pearl Eyer sugar cookies. John enjoyed food so much, that later in life, he took up cooking; some of it was actually edible! He tirelessly worked to perfect his signature dish, Clam Spaghetti, and when he did, he renamed it, “Clamus Alabamus”. He would often serve it to the suitors his daughters brought home for dinner — specially prepared, just for them, with an extra seven cloves of garlic! Some suitors never returned.
John was predeceased by his parents, four siblings, his wife of 62 years, Althea Campagne Selfe; son-in-law, Bob Jorgensen; and daughter, Leslie Selfe Brown (his baby, even after 66 years). He is survived by two sisters: Gladys Englert of Loomis, Calif., and Beverly Johnson of McElhattan, Pa., four children: daughter, Mary Lou Selfe Jorgensen of Dothan, Ala.; son, John K. Selfe, Jr. (Linda) of Odenton, Md.; son, Carl K. Selfe (Beth) of Dothan, Ala.; daughter, Patricia Selfe Prince (Don) of Livingston, Texas; son-in-law, James Brown, Owens Cross Roads, Ala.; 16 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Dothan and a member of the Elks Club.
The family would like to thank Linda McClenny Baron for her 40 years of friendship, support, caregiving, and service to our father and family; to Dr. Doug Jackson and Nurse Tammie for their dedicated medical care, understanding, support, and compassion to our father and family; to Reverend Allie Freeman for his friendship and ministry to our father and family throughout the years; to our sister Mary Lou who moved from St. Louis to Dothan (after mother died ) to look after daddy, and a special thank you to our brother Carl , and sister-in-law, Beth, for their extraordinary care of our father while living with him in his final years. Because of you, our father had round-the-clock care, meals fit for a king, lots of laughter, his own private chauffeur, and chicken and waffles every Tuesday. We will forever be indebted to you for your love and sacrifice.
Memories may be posted at www.wardwilson.com/obituaries.
Ward Wilson Memory Hill Funeral Home Cemetery and Crematory
2414 Hartford Highway
Dothan, Alabama 36305
334-792-4194
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