Harold Eugene Sells

Harold Eugene Sells, Jr. (Hal) was born in Chicago, IL on October 16, 1929. He was the only child of Marie and Harold Sells Sr. In adult life he would humorously say, “Right after I was born, the country went into depression. They didn’t know what to do with me.”

Hal married Virginia Smiley in 1955 in Denver, Colorado. They met as students at Columbia International University, dated in Denver after college and married while Hal attended Denver Seminary. Hal and Ginny had three children, Connie (married to Tom Roy), Lori (married to Tom Wheeler), and Jim (married to Heather Conley) and later seven grandchildren, Natalie (married to Andre Wilson), Joshua, Laura (married to Joshua Ring), Hannah (married to Noah Thompson), Nathan (married to Emma Royce), Zack, and Peter (married to Mollie Parsons).

After Ginny’s death in 2008, Hal married Darathy Sanders. Darathy brought joy to Hal’s life for nearly 14 years. After their wedding they lived in Washington State for seven years and the Tidewater area of Virginia for the last 6 years. They enjoyed worship at the First Nazarene Church of Chesapeake, caring for the elderly through music and chalk art in a ministry called Fingerprints of His Grace. Together they also created an Airbnb business in their Victorian home in Portsmouth, VA.

Hal’s life was ministry-focused with an entrepreneurial and artistic style. After seminary he founded Madeira Baptist Church, near Cincinnati, OH. Later, he served in other churches in Southern California. He was the founder and principal of Bethany Christian Academy in Westminster, CA. He also served as a regular and special education teacher in Garden Grove and Santa Ana, CA.

One co-worker once said of Hal, “He has more ideas per square inch than anyone I know.” Indeed, his life was one of constant creativity- painting, pottery, trumpet, carpentry, rose-growing, basketball, softball, golf, bowling and tennis.

While his diverse abilities and passions were evident, none was stronger than his unwavering faith in God and trust in Jesus. His Christian faith was central to his life, work and all relationships. He rejoiced to witness people come to know Christ and deepen their relationship with Him.

For nearly 93 years, Hal Sells served God, cared for his family, preached the Gospel, taught children, and discipled young men. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and those he cared for.