Tatjana Ostapoff

Tatjana “Tanja” Ostapoff died on December 20, 2025, following a brief hospital stay in Orlando, Florida. She was born October 7, 1950 in Kiel, Germany. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1954, and she grew up in Virginia before the family moved to Florida. After attending Yale for a masters, she decided the New Haven winters were altogether too cold, and switched to law school at the University of Florida instead. She was admitted to the bar in 1976. Tanja was a public defender in Palm Beach County for her entire career. As a trial lawyer, she met Ken Selvig in court when he prosecuted a case against one of her clients, and they married a few years later. A fierce advocate, Tanja went on to have a decades-long appellate career, successfully arguing many cases in the 4th Judicial District and Florida Supreme Court. She retired in 2021.

Tanja was a sailor, dog lover, and passionate liberal. She spent many happy hours on the water, sailing the Intracoastal. From her devoted Doberman Captain in college to her final Jack Russell Wesley, Tanja was never long without a dog in her life. Never one to suffer fools lightly, Tanja had a quick wit and independent streak that loved the art of argument.

She is survived by her brother, Michael Ostapoff, of Enfield, Connecticut, and two children, Karl Selvig, of Orlando, Florida, and Kirsten Selvig, of Hilo, Hawaii, as well as three grandchildren.