Robert Dixon Sellman

Bobby was born Oct. 22, 1960, in Fort Worth to Robert Payne and Patsy Sellman. The family lived in Burleson until 1967, when they moved to Mart. Bobby attended Mart schools through 12^th grade, graduating in 1980. He was active in agriculture, football and tennis.

His first job was writing a column for The Mart Herald, owned by his father and uncle. Bobby’s Corner ran weekly in the Herald, where he wrote about news around town.

After graduation, he began a career in the electrical field at Navasota Valley Electric in Mart, where he worked for 22 years. From there, he went to work as a management supervisor for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the next 10 years, traveling across the state. He also worked for Standard Electric before becoming a rural mail carrier for the Rosebud Post Office in 2019.

Bobby stayed busy most of his life. In addition to full-time work, he operated heavy equipment for Greg Graves and ran a sideline tree trimming business for many years.

He also was a member of the Mart Ag Boosters during the time his children were involved in showing.

Bobby grew up in the Mart Church of Christ until moving to Waco in 2011, when he joined the Lake Shore Church of Christ.

He was very patriotic. He was an avid student of World War II and all things related to the military. He loved to read about and discuss history.

Bobby joined the Texas State Guard in 1994 and served for 25 years. He rose to the rank of Sergeant Major of Operations in Second Regiment Civil Affairs and Top Sergeant of the First Battalion in Second Regiment Civil Affairs before retiring.

When called, he proudly served in active duty deployments after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Dean, Hurricane Dolly, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Edwardo, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Alex, the Bastrop fires, the Marble Falls flooding and the border Operation Lone Star.

His expertise included certifications in American Red Cross Shelter Management, radio operation, OSHA forklift operation, BNCOC and ANCOC professional development, G3 NCOIC and G6 NCOIC and Web EOC operations. He was also part of the First Battalion of the Quick Response Team.

In his service, he worked with federal and state agencies, the National Guard, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, county and city governments, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, AmeriCorps and the Mexican army.

“He was a soldier among soldiers,” recalls one Battle Buddy, Morris Hickman. “He was a man. We were more men when we were soldiers than anything else. He was in his element when he had the uniform on. He had no fear. People really looked up to him. He was a leader. He was a hard charger.”

Among his awards were two Texas Outstanding Service medals, the Texas Medal of Merit, four Adjutant General Individual awards, Texas State Guard Meritorious Service ribbon, four Commanding General Individual awards, Texas State Guard Recruiting ribbon, Texas Faithful Service medal, three Texas State Guard Service medals, NCO Professional Development ribbon with 3 bars, NCO Mems Military Emergency Management Specialist award, Texas Governor’s Unit Citation award, Texas State Guard Association ribbon, Master’s Marksman Award, and the Expert Rifle and Expert Pistol awards.

He enjoyed the outdoors and spent much of his life hunting, fishing, camping, and playing golf. Some of his fond memories were from Sellman reunions at Galveston, Lake Whitney, and the Hill Country; camping at the Sellman farm in Prairie Hill; and traveling with his best friend, Gale.

He especially enjoyed spending time with his son, Wayne, and family. “Poppy” was so proud of his three granddaughters: Harper, Katie, and Ruby.

Bobby was preceded in death by his daughter, Beverly Ann Sellman; parents, Bob and Pat Sellman; and one sister, Annette Sellman Clay.

Survivors include his son, Wayne Sellman and wife Andie of Mart; three granddaughters, Harper Houston, Katie Sellman, and Ruby Sellman, all of Mart; one sister, Cindy Sellman Mendez and husband Carlos of Arlington; niece Crystal Clay of Jersey City, N.J.; nephews Sam and Luke Mendez of Arlington; and his best friend, Gale Cogliati of China Spring.