William Wilkes "Bill" Selman

William Wilkes “Bill” Selman, a retired engineer for Alabama Power Company, died at his home in Phenix City, Ala., on May 18, 2015, following a brief illness. He was 77.

A graveside memorial will be held 11 a.m. Eastern Saturday, May 23, at Lakeview Memory Gardens, 3800 Highway 431 North in Phenix City. Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m. Eastern Friday, May 22, at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 3770 Highway 431 North in Phenix City.

Bill Selman was born April 24, 1938, in Tupelo, Miss., the son of Lucian McCoy “Mac” and Ruby Wilkes Selman. He spent most of his early years in Florence, Ala., where his father was an engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority and his mother occasionally taught in local schools as a substitute teacher. Bill graduated from Coffee High School there in 1956.

Bill began his undergraduate studies at Auburn University shortly after high school and pledged Delta Sigma Phi. He took a break in his studies during his junior year at Auburn and was drafted by the U.S. Army in December 1961.

For the next two years Bill served as an artillery surveyor for the 3rd Howitzer Battalion 30th Artillery based at Fort Sill, Okla. During his service, he earned a commendation for marksmanship and the Army’s Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged from active duty in December 1963 and remained a member of the Army Reserve through 1967.

Following his return to Auburn, Bill graduated with a degree in industrial engineering in 1967. He then began his professional career as an electrical engineer for Alabama Power that same year in Anniston. Bill spent the next 34 years in various engineering and management roles for the utility, retiring in January 2001 as a senior manager at Alabama Power’s Southeast Division offices in Eufaula.

In 1968 Bill transferred to the Alabama Power office in Phenix City. During a lunch break in 1969, he struck up a conversation with a clerk from Sherwood Pharmacy on Summerville Road. He invited Judy Henderson for a cup of coffee later that day, and she accepted. Their conversation lasted another 39 years, following marriage on Dec. 14, 1969. Judy passed away in 2009, and Bill never remarried.

After a 1971 move to Ozark, Ala., Bill and Judy had a son, Sean, in 1972. The young family enjoyed many years living in Ozark and Enterprise, Ala. The family returned to Phenix City in 1982, when Bill became a district supervisor for Alabama Power. He later took up management roles for the Southeast Division and was based out of the company’s Eufaula offices until his retirement.

Bill was a life-long member of the United Methodist Church and joined the congregation at Phenix City’s Summerville United Methodist Church in 1982. He volunteered for the church in a number of capacities until 2010 and was a member of the O.L. Duncan Sunday School Class. Bill also was an avid stamp collector, a computer programming enthusiast, and a passionate fan of Auburn athletics.

Bill is survived by his son, Sean Selman of Atlanta, and his brother, John Selman of Houston as well as numerous nieces and nephews in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Other survivors include his mother-in-law, Mrs. John F. Duke, Sr., of Phenix City, three brothers-in-law and two sister-in-law; Bill’s sister, Barbara Stewart of Chickasaw, Ala., preceded him in death, in 2011.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The United Methodist Children’s Home of Alabama and Northwest Florida, 3140 Zelda Court in Montgomery, Ala., 36106. Donations may be made online at https://910.thankyou4caring.org/donate.

Please sign the online registry @ www.shphenixcity.com