Robert (Bob) Frederick Selm was born on February 19, 1952 to Robert and Rowena (Brown) Selm in Aberdeen, Maryland.
Bob, known to many childhood friends as Squab, spent most of his life in Salina growing up with his siblings, Rosalie, Linda, and Mike, being pulled through snow by their beloved Huskies and avoiding “groads” at all cost. Bob took part in many mischievous acts such as Ding Dong Ditch, jumping out of trees to frighten trick-or treaters (who may or may not have then dropped their candy), and misappropriating funds for Tasty Freeze and M&Ms.
Bob attended school at Salina High School and then the University of Kansas where he donned his spandex and flexed his pecs performing the Iron Cross. He returned to Salina and began a career at Westinghouse Electric (later Philips Lighting) where he spent the next 33 years and formed lifelong friendships.
Some of his best times were spent on motorcycle trips with Tony, Mark and Ed and included adventures to California where they got their money’s worth on All-You-Can-Eat-Shrimp, a sensational deal on fuel, and enjoyed the stunning peaks of Black’s Beach. He enjoyed storytelling and perpetrating the illusion of Mr. Wizard with his siblings.
Bob met Becky Vogelman in 1978 when she moved into his apartment building. He was a man who knew what he wanted, and wasn’t renowned for his patience. His mischievous nature reappeared as he employed various methods of outfoxing the competition. The two were married at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on August 1, 1982 and honeymooned in San Diego among familiar landmarks.
Bob introduced Becky to NFL football, travel and photography, three passions that endure to this day. They made a point to travel to Seahawks games, fell in love with Yellowstone during a driving trip to Seattle, and discovered the love of the ocean on a trip to the Cayman Islands. Bob’s mischievous nature rubbed off on Becky when she convinced him to get his SCUBA certification so that they could return to other island destinations.
Bob and Becky have two children, Michelle (Mika) Hutton nee Selm (Bunny Pie to Bob) and Ashley Haller nee Selm (Buggie to Bob). Bob’s award-winning parenting techniques included making spooky werewolf sounds outside their bedroom windows at night, fabricating names, facts, habitats and mating rituals of birds, and taking the children out to chase tornados. His Parent of the Year award has strangely not arrived yet. Bob instilled a love for SCUBA diving in both daughters, and Becky’s plan for island time worked beautifully.
Bob single handedly dictated their taste in music and television, including Heart, Queen, and Star Trek. Bob’s biggest influence on Mika is her love for all things astronomy. His greatest impact on Ashley came from the times they spent together doing fixity things that revealed her mechanical aptitude. Bob loved his family immensely.
Bob faced health challenges throughout his life that would have taxed the most resilient among us but he refused to accept defeat and tinkered his way around obstacles. He was the king of modifying literally everything to accommodate his needs, whether it was creating personal electronic devices, modifying furniture for accessibility, or even engineering his own medical equipment, often with a sense of warped humor. His 3D printer never stopped in spite of the challenges presented by Parkinson’s Disease. He loved his cats, his family, remote controls and the Starship Enterprise.
Bob passed away peacefully on October 31, 2022 surrounded by loved ones. He leaves behind his wife Becky Selm; daughters Michelle (Jon) Hutton of Aurora, Colorado and Ashley (Jason) Haller of Salina; grandchildren Emerson Hutton, Elora, Barrett and Bowen Haller; siblings Linda (Roy) Partridge, Foristell, MO and Mike (Amy) Selm, Topeka. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert P and Rowena Selm and his sister Rosalie (Roger) Pace.
A gathering for family and friends is planned for spring of 2023 at Rocky Mountain National Park to celebrate his life and love for the area where many happy memories were made.
As Bob would have said,
“Shoot, newt. You’re faded.”