As Norm would say with one of his “Normisms”: "T’aint right, but T’is so…”
Surrounded by family, Norman Harold Sellers, age 78, passed away at home quietly on the morning of December 26, 2021.
Born March 10, 1943, in Seattle, Washington, to Harold and Mary Sellers, Norman lived in the University District with his mom, while his father was stationed overseas in the military. After World War II ended, and when his father returned, the family signed up to go overseas as missionaries in Papua New Guinea.
In 1950, Norman and three of his younger siblings spent five months at sea on the Assemblies of God “Speed the Light” ship, the M.V. Evangel. Two more siblings were born later, in Papua New Guinea. Once there, they lived near a gold mine for six months while learning the language. After, they moved to an isolated location in Lufa, and almost all Norman’s schooling was through correspondence courses taught by his mom. It was during this time he learned basic survival skills, including carpentry and mechanics. When Norman was 13, his family was furloughed to Hayward, California, for two years, where he attended public school.
“Every little bit helps…” At age 15, his family returned to Papua New Guinea. Feeling isolated, he started building furniture to make money to eventually move. At age 16, he was halfway to his goal when he had an accident, colliding his motorcycle with a jeep and almost losing his leg. After eight months of rehab, Norman’s dad got him a job managing inventory for 16 trade stores in town. He did this for six months, earning the funds that he needed to return to the United States.
Once in the United States, he spent some time with his deaf paternal grandmother, Helen, before moving to Seattle to attend school at the King’s Missionary Training Institute. While in Seattle, he graduated with a B.A. from Mountlake College. At Bible school, Norman fell in love with his teacher’s daughter, Eden. Eden and family attended Shoreline Mennonite Brethren Church.
“Stick with me, Kid…” After marrying Eden in 1965, their first son, Dean, was born in September 1966. They joined Wycliffe Bible Translators and spent three months training in Oklahoma to be support staff on the mission field in Papua New Guinea. Finally, on October 2, 1967, in the midst of a 100-plus miles per hour hurricane, they headed out on the P&O cruise liner, the Canberra, toward Papua New Guinea.
Settling in Ukarumpa, Norman built their home where they lived for the extent of their term there. In Ukarumpa, Eden worked as an administrative assistant to the heads of S.I.L. and Wycliffe at the base stationed there. In the mean time, Norman worked in the automotive department, maintaining base vehicles and teaching mechanics to native interns. Also, he worked with the base lumber yard, driving trucks to pick up building supplies. In 1969, Trina was born in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Trina became ill with meningitis and Eden had jungle fever, and so they returned to Seattle, Washington, in 1971, after their term was completed. Their third child, Darren, was born just shortly after.
“Picking up his hammer and saw…” In 1974, Norman built Eden her dream home, complete with Spanish arches, wood paneling, and Mediterranean style décor. This would be Norman’s forever home, where he lived for 48 years and eventually died. While here, in 1988, Norman’s fourth child, Derek, was born. It was in this home that Norman raised his 3 plus 1 family, enjoying his eight grandkids and one great-grandchild before his passing.
Work in the Seattle area included being a Diesel Mechanic with Lee & Estes tank lines in the 1970s, owning and operating Sellers Automotive along side his brother, Bernerd, in the 1980s and early 1990s, and working as a Metro bus mechanic for King County Metro in the late 1990s, until he retired in 2013.
“Hold your horses…” Norman’s favorite activities were going on road trips on his Yamaha Venture, playing with his motorcycles, piloting Cessna airplanes, attending church, socializing with “the Cruise Group,” and taking numerous trips with family. With a missionary’s heart, it can well be said that he lived his life in service to others. Having spent his childhood tracking his siblings from the rear in hikes through the jungle, he spent his adult life supporting family and others quietly from behind. Being the oldest son, he lived his life with a sense of responsibility to make sure that everyone else was okay and taken care of. He could always be called upon to fix other’s cars, help with a building project, assist with the grandkids, or to lend a listening ear.
He is preceded in death by his parents and one brother. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Eden Sellers, four children, eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and four siblings.
The family invites you to celebrate his life at his memorial service on January 22, 2022, 2:00 p.m., at the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Washington.
*All obituaries are submitted by family and friends of the deceased.
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