Diana Elizabeth Selchan's Obituary
Diana Selchan, age 77, of St. Helens, died peacefully on Friday, October 24, 2014 surrounded by family and cherished magazines after a brave fight with cancer, dementia, and heart disease. Her fun-loving personality and generous heart will be greatly missed by everyone she touched.
Born in Detroit, Michigan on May 18, 1937, she was raised by multicultural parents, Fernando Alvare, Jr. of Spanish descent, and Willow Alvare, a native Apache Indian. Diana grew up with five sisters, Dolores, Dionisia, Doreen, Doris and Donna. She developed a love of books at an early age while attending school at St. Anne’s Catholic Church and was an avid reader throughout her life.
Seeking adventure after graduating from high school, Diana joined the Navy in 1956 and served in Washington D.C. and Hawaii. One of her favorite memories was participating in the celebrations of Hawaii being inducted into the United States in 1959. After the Navy, she returned to Flat Rock, Michigan, married Andrew Selchan, and raised a daughter, Angela. A loving mother, Diana used her artistic talent to help with school projects and served as a Brownie troop leader.
Diana was employed in retail sales for J.L. Hudsons for several years. Her friendly approach enabled her to develop close relationships with customers and she won awards for selling large orders of Waterford crystal.
When Andrew passed away in 1984 she attended and took business and art classes to enhance her skills. Mother and daughter deepened their bond by travelling throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Diana celebrated her 50th birthday exploring China, a trip that fulfilled a lifelong dream. However, Hawaii was always her favorite place. In 2007 Diana moved to St. Helens to join Angela who relocated to Oregon for work. She enjoyed exploring the Pacific Northwest on car rides with her family.
Diana is survived by her daughter, Angela (Angie) Sorensen, son-in-law, Bruce Sorensen, sister, Dolores Reynolds of Michigan, many nieces and nephews, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
The family wants to express gratitude to the staff at the Avamere Arbor for their loving care and friendship during the six years that she lived there.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1:00 pm, November 8,2014 at Columbia Funeral Home in
St. Helens.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a memorial established with the Susan B. Komen Cancer Society of SW Washington and Oregon (www.race.komenoregon.org/Tributes/Diana Selchan) or Reach Out and Read (www.reachoutandread.org).
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