Roy Edward Selvidge, 86, passed from this world on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Born on January 29, 1936, in Marked Tree, Arkansas to Robert and Alice Selvidge, Roy was the only boy for many years in a family of four (who he would say were ornery) sisters. Growing up during the Great Depression, he learned about hard work at a very young age. Roy spent his childhood picking cotton (for a quarter a day, he would tell you). He quit school in the 8th grade to work full time to support his family, but what he missed in formal education he made up for in life experience. Roy taught himself complex math on the job and became a skilled brick mason, carpenter, businessman and home builder. He left his mark across Arkansas and Missouri, building thousands of homes and owning multiple businesses. He was a member of Greenwood First Baptist Church.
Roy’s greatest works were his four children, Christie Selvidge of St. Charles, MO, Roy Selvidge, Jr. of Hot Springs, Paula Selvidge of Colleyville, TX and Brittney (Tyler) Lee of Hackett. Roy didn’t have many hobbies, but he did have many friends. He loved to host people at his lake house for a good barbecue and boat ride. He leaves behind a faithful wife of 36 years, Linda Selvidge of Hackett; his four children; brothers, Lester and Mike Selvidge; sister, Velma (Brad) Dillenback; several adult grandchildren, Ashley Garcia-Guevara, Brandy Ruffin, Cassy Selvidge, Darcey Selvidge; granddaughter, Remington Lee (age 5), plus many great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his sisters, Mary Lou Barnett, Sue Austin and Bobby Winters.
Celebration of life service will be 10 a.m., Monday, February 28 at Greenwood First Baptist Church with burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Hackett under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood. Viewing will be Sunday from 4 – 6 p.m. at the funeral home, where the family will visit with friends during this time.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 635, Greenwood, AR 72936 or the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at alzinfo.org.
