FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] TOS Member Frances Sellars

["Roy and Melissa Turrentine" <roymel@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Birding Friends,
 It is with great sadness we report the loss of a good friend and birder, 
Frances Sellars of John Sellars Wilson Co TOS. She passed away yesterday, 
Sunday, on September 9th. Many of you did not have the good fortune of knowing 
Frances because her health has been poorly for several years. I will take a 
brief moment to let you know just a fraction of what you missed in your life. 
If you wanted to know if she is related to the person who bears our club's John 
Sellars name, she was the wife of the late John Sellars. She & John were 
notorious for taking folks out until all hours of the night in search of that 
last woodcock or to hear the first chuck-will's widow. I am convinced that 
these two are the reason why so many birders of our club's past were such good 
ones. They loved the birds and they enjoyed life. Birds were just an addition 
to their busy lives and they relished in every morsel of knowledge about birds 
and anything else they could learn. Frances was one of those rare avis that 
knew something about everything but had such a sense of humor in relaying it. 
You never knew what she would respond or how something would cause her to crack 
a funny that would send others cackling. She was always tasteful yet just on 
the edge of being sassy and we all loved her dearly. I have heard stories of 
this van group she & John had out birding until the wee hours and I have always 
wished I had been a fly inside to hear the group for they all were fun persons 
to be around.
Frances also had a love of rocks and I recall how in awe I was over her geode 
collection and other rocks.
In her latter years, she would sell her abilities short because her vertigo and 
other ailments prevented her from getting out. One count in particular, she was 
apologetic once again, saying "I heard nothing and of course couldn't see much 
of anything...but I did hear a yellow-billed cuckoo...that was it." That was 
our only cuckoo of the day.
If you ever loved music, you'd know of Frances. She was choir director of her 
church for many years and in her final year of leading, it was a packed church 
to hear the "Seven Last Words of Christ." It was so moving not only in the 
music and performance but because everyone who attended knew that Frances lived 
and breathed her love of music to her choir. Perhaps this was an added reason 
of her love for birds...she heard music in every song, regardless of the bird. 
She may have made some funny comment about that bird, but her laughing eyes 
would tell you she heard its music. Frances, we bid you adieu...you put a song 
in our hearts and a smile on our face every time we were near you. You were a 
rara avis, indeed.
Melissa Turrentine
Normandy TN
Bedford Co
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