Tatjana Ostapoff

Tatjana “Tanja” Ostapoff died on December 20, 2025, following a brief hospital stay in Oviedo, Florida. She was born October 7, 1950 in Kiel, Germany. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1954, living in New York and Virgina, before the family moved to Florida. Tanja attended New College of Florida for undergrad, taking great pride in its freethinking atmosphere and independence. After attending Yale for a masters in German literature, 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 in Virginia, Biscayne Bay, the Intracoastal, and even Pearl Harbor. From her devoted Doberman, Captain, in college, to her final Jack Russell, Wesley, Tanja always had at least one 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. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Parkinson’s Research Foundation or Americans United for Separation of Church and State are welcomed.