In 1955, on February 7th, in the small rural town of Elkhart, Indiana, an angelic child was born to Floyd Olinger and Tony Fae Campbell. Growing up with ups and downs she couldn’t help but learn the value of empathy and kindness and was always attuned to the suffering of others. She was still years away from mothering her first child, but to anyone who needed a little advice or a little comfort, Rene would offer it with love and compassion. This sweet child would one day define herself as a mother. It was not just an important thing for her, it was the only thing.
Through growing up with her sisters Debbie, Karen, Kathy, Phyllis, Sharon, and Rita and her brothers Marvin, Paul, Ray and Steven, she learned the importance of family. As she became a young adult she learned the importance of faith and a loving God. She became an active member in her church, extending her family to those she met there. She found her voice, metaphorically and literally, eventually joining the church folk group and the family she found there. Through her work as a dedicated social worker she helped other families, always focusing on children. To her co-workers, she was a dedicated friend.
Eager to start her own family, at the age of 18, recently baptized Catholic, Rene gave birth to her first child, Jeremy. Wanting her children to grow up surrounded by love, she continued with Kevin, Lisa, Mark, Nicole and Joseph. Motherhood became grandmotherhood. With delight she shared her love with her grandchildren Estevan, Sophia, Kailen, Ethan, Alexandria, Indigo, Evelyn, Benjamin and Elliot.
Never shy to share her beautiful singing voice with her friends and family, she sang in front of the fireplace to an intimate group of friends or with her dearest friend Cindy McCollum for the hundreds lined up in the church pews. While getting her associate’s degree she perfected Ave Maria for a class she was taking. Most of all, she sang to her children and taught them her love of music. “Music makes people more beautiful”, said a sign she hung in her house. Her beauty was the brightest of them all.
Rene never stopped being the mother she wished and loved to be when raising her grand-daughter Alexandria, with her husband, Tony Self. She continued singing lullabies and passing on the knowledge that while we may love her from here to the moon, she loved us all to the moon and back.
Rene Elaine Self, age 65, of Phoenix, passed away on July 6, 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona. She was born on February 7, 1955 to the late Floyd Olinger and the late Tony Fae Campbell in Elkhart, Indiana. On December 1, 2007, she married Tony Self in Phoenix, Arizona. Rene, always opening her heart to help others, dedicated her life in the service of protecting children as an employee of the State of Arizona. She enjoyed singing, music, laughing with her family and friends, and never met a stranger. Rene is survived by her loving spouse (21 years together), Tony; six children, Jeremy, Kevin, Lisa, Mark (Barbara), Nicole (Nick) and Joseph; her sister Bobbie and brother-in-law Brandon Harper; nine grandchildren, Estevan, Sophia, Kailen, Ethan, Alexandria, Indigo, Evelyn, Benjamin and Elliot. She is also survived by siblings Marvin, Kathy, Ray, Steven and many other loving family and friends. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Elmer and Thelma Clayton; her parents Floyd Olinger and Tony Fae Campbell; sisters Debbie, Phyllis, Sharon, and Karen; and her brother Paul. Funeral Memorial services will be closed to the public for all of our safety. Services will be livestreamed at 11:00am PST on Monday, July 13th, 2020 on the Shadow Mountain Mortuary Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ShadowMountainMortuary). As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (www.affcf.org) in memory of Rene Self.
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