Memorials › Clarence Orval Selders
Clarence Orval Selders
25 Jan 1926 – 16 Nov 2019
| Birth | 25 Jan 1926 |
| Death | 16 Nov 2019 |
| Cemetery | San Jacinto Valley Cemetery San Jacinto , Riverside County , California , USA |
| Added by | 49106808 on 25 Nov 2019 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205004076 |
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He was the second child born to Clarence Leroy Selders and Gertrude (Peters) Selders. He was born on a homestead and grew up on a farm outside of Griswold, IA. He worked the farm and rode a horse to school until he was 8. The family lost the farm during the Depression and his father moved many times within Iowa to find work. He attended nine schools by the time he graduated from Omaha Vocational H.S. in 1943. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After boot camp in Farragut, ID, he was sent to learn Morse Code at the Naval Radio Operator School in Moscow, ID, because he was one of the few who could type proficiently. He was assigned as a Radioman to the LST 1032 and was sent to the Invasion of Iwo Jima in February 1945. His ship was one of the few that survived and their ship’s flag was the flag that was flown in the iconic picture of the marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi. He met Alice Blair on a blind double date while on leave from the war and they were each matched with someone else during the date. They fell for each other immediately, but he was afraid to get too serious because he didn’t know if he’d survive the war. As soon as the war ended, he returned to Omaha. He and Alice began dating and within months they were married. He used the GI bill to attend the University of Nebraska, pursuing Mechanical Engineering. But he never gave up his dream to become a car designer and while attending the University, he applied and was accepted to Art Center College of Design in California. After graduating, he worked for Raymond Loewy, at Studebaker-Packard in South Bend, IN. When the company became financially strained, he began looking for a job with the Detroit automotive companies. He was initially hired by Chrysler as a designer, but he changed his mind and took a position at GM in 1955, where he worked for for over 25 years. In retirement, he worked for his friend, Larry Shinoda at his design studio in Michigan. In 1988, he and Alice moved to Palm Springs, CA and lived there for 31 years. He was preceded in death by parents; his wife of 67 years, Alice (Blair) Selders; his step-father, Ralph Nelson; and his sister, Edith Selders. He is survived by his two daughters, Denise Diane Selders (of Loveland, CO) and Karla Selders Paterson and her husband, William J. Paterson (of Murrieta, CA); three grandchildren, Rory Case, Niall Case and Nolan Case; two step grandchildren; Allissa Paterson and Brice Paterson.
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