By John E. Xavier
A major loss to the extended Xavier family and the siida of Saami North Americans was the passing in June (2011) of Mark A. Selid from complications of a bicycle accident and heart attack, at the age of 63. While this blog certainly will be edited further, Mark's life merits consideration at this very time of deep, disappointing, and premature loss felt by so many. So, while this is fully in the Scandinavian tradition of an interpretive Life Sketch, it may be lacking of some names and details, more of which will appear in the fullness of time.
Mark Alvin Selid was an American of Saami and Norwegian background. His mother, Borghild (Xavier) Selid, is at 93 the surviving elder of the Xavier family of Rev. Karl Xavier and Bina (Kammerud) Xavier and also recognized as a Saami American elder in a long Saami American line. That line was established in the late1860s by Mark's great-grandparents, Rev. Nils Paul Xavier (1839-1918) and Amanda Magdalena (Norum) Xavier (1849-1934). Mark's parents, Rev. Alvin Selid and Borghild (Xavier) Selid were active for decades in Lutheran Church circles in Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington and Oregon.
Mark was born in Minot, North Dakota, attending public schools in Enderlin, North Dakota and Spokane, Washington. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in 1969 from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) in Tacoma. It was at PLU that his great-uncle, Prof. Johan U. Xavier, served briefly as President, and as professor for about forty years, during the first half of the 1900s. Following a brief US Army stint, Mark was in Chicago with Florsheim before returning to his beloved Pacific Northwest.
In 1986, Mark earned a Master's in Taxation at Portland State University, had a long run practicing as a CPA and serving many years as a faculty member at George Fox University. He combined the linear and analytical thinking of accountancy with the humanistic interpretation of the liberal arts. He loved people, and he clearly understood accountancy as a way of helping society to measure itself, not only to measure money.
As was the case with his parents, nearly all of his siblings and several cousins, Mark visited Norway and Sapmi, and traveled with family elsewhere as well, in the USA, Canada, and Europe. He was involved in family events, not just for the triennial Xavier or various Selid reunions, but as part of life. He remained active throughout his years in various sports and outdoor activities.
He poured enormous amounts of time, effort, and love into the lives of his children Stephanie and Chris. In this family dedication and indeed in his entire life, I always saw Mark as a classy guy, to be counted on, who had a thoughtful and ofttimes wry and dry-humored approach...all as he endlessly gave of himself to family, work, community, church, and to life itself. He drew from deep wells.
Mark and his first wife, the late Marcy (Runnels), had two children, Stephanie (Selid) Ostrem and Chris. Stephanie and her husband, Andy Ostrem, just had a baby, Owen Mark, Mark's first grandchild, a few weeks prior to Mark's death. In addition to Stephanie and Andy, Chris, and Owen Mark, he is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and by siblings Rebecca (Selid) Matson (Bill); Ruth Selid; Rachel (Selid) Gunderson (Art); Naomi (Selid) Tweet (Steve); and Stephen Selid, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by first wife Marcy, who died of cancer in 1991; by his father, Rev. Alvin Selid, by paternal grandparents Nels and Jennie Selid; and by maternal grandparents Rev. Karl Xavier (1869-1924) and Bina (Kamrud) Xavier (1880-1931).
I've read that more than one politician or leader of industry has lived in the fear of being summed up, as if there is shame in that. I sum up Mark as a great cousin, the sort of fellow many of us will miss for all of our earthly time, and whose memory will be recalled with frequency and fondness. May we all have such a legacy as that of this man, this fine gentleman.
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