Darwin Harding Seele
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: April 6, 1922
Date of Death: March 18, 2014
Birth Place: Gotebo, OK
Death Place: Oklahoma City, OK
Darwin Harding Selle
April 6, 1922 – March 18, 2014
Darwin Harding Selle was born on April 6, 1922 in Gotebo, Oklahoma (Kiowa County), son of William Logan Selle and Nora Leah Cook. He passed away on March 18, 2014 in Oklahoma City, OK. Growing up in the Great Depression, he served as a farmer, helping his father on a 320 acre farm. His duties included dealing with crops, watering, milking, and dehorning cattle.
In World War II Darwin flew 17 missions as a Tail Gunner Engineer on the B-17,447th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, and 55 missions as an Engineer Gunner on the B-25, 487th Squadron, 340th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. Darwin earned a Purple Heart when he was hit by flak in the arm over Kiel, Germany. The flak had cut his microphone cord, so they couldn’t hear him. They sent a crew member Brzezinski back to check on him and while the crewmember was helping Darwin back up to the other part of the plane, Brzezinski’s walk-around bottle ran out of oxygen and he passed out. Darwin ended up giving Brzezinski his own oxygen bottle, thereby saving the man who came to help him. After a two month hospitalization near Rattlesden, England, he returned to finish his missions at Corsica and Rimini, Italy, just before the end of the war. Along with the Purple Heart, he was awarded two Bronze service stars, one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, and one Bronze Oak Leaf cluster.
After returning from World War II, he returned to the farm in Gotebo. He had previous education at Cameron Agricultural School,in Lawton where he earned credit as a pilot. Darwin found work as a school bus driver after the war. While driving the school bus, he would meet his future wife Betty Ruth Ledbetter. After they began dating, Betty would ride her bicycle out to the road where he would put up his school bus so that she could see him after his shift. Eventually love blossomed, and they were married in 1948. Sandra Kay was born in 1952 and Sherry Ann was born in 1956. Darwin and Betty would remain married over sixty-five years. Darwin earned a degree in elementary education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He went on to teach elementary school in Gotebo Public Schools in 1960.
Darwin was ordained as a Deacon at The Odessa Missionary Baptist Church in Gotebo, OK in 1958. He moved from Gotebo, OK to Del City, OK in 1966 and would later become a Deacon at First Southern Baptist Church Del City. He retired in 1986 after teaching two decades in the Mid-Del Public School District at Townsend and Sooner Rose Elementary.
He was preceded in death by brother, Thurman Selle and sister, Thelma West. He is survived by his wife, Betty Ruth; sister, Vivian Selle Eskew and husband Travis Eskew; brother, Marvil Selle; daughter, Sandra Gregory and husband Johnnie; daughter, Sherry Magnus and husband David; grandchildren, Kristy Birchfield and husband Jerry, Lauren Magnus and fiance Steve Menard, Andrew Magnus, Joel Magnus, Kyle Gregory and fiance Shasta Davis, Brian Magnus and wife Stephanie. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Services will be held Saturday, March 22 at 10:00 A.M. at First Southern Baptist Church Del City.
Published online by the Griffin Leggett Rest Hills Funeral Home & Rest Hills Memorial Park
