Selakovich, Bethel Lee (Goodson)

Bethel Lee Selakovich passed away peacefully in Tulsa, OK, on January 10, 2025, at the age of 96. She was a devoted mother to Mary, Betty, and Dan, and loving wife to Daniel. Beth was born in Bache, OK, in 1928 to Haskell and Rachel Goodson. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers (Dale and Marvin), her husband, and her son Daniel Selakovich. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Selakovich of Stillwater, and Betty Casey and her husband, Wesley Casey, of Tulsa; three grandchildren, Connor Casey, Colleyville, TX; Anna Casey, Washington D.C.; and Mary Casey of Champaign-Urbana, IL; two siblings, Loretta Suter and Fred Goodson (Jo); and many extended family members.
Beth was the oldest of five children and worked hard on their farm in Pittsburg County, outside of McAlester, OK. She often talked about milking the cows and doing the work that farm life required from every family member. She spoke fondly of her childhood, growing up around grandparents and relatives who sang and played various instruments for entertainment. Beth also remarked on how much she loved going to school, and often told the story of traveling with her parents when she was an infant to the Pacific Northwest where Haskell worked on the shipping docks for a time.
Always eager to explore, Beth left the farm for Tulsa to work at Blue Cross & Blue Shield. She loved walking from the boarding house on North Denver, where she lived with other young women, through downtown Tulsa to her job. She met her future husband, Dan, in Tulsa, and they had their first date at the Delman Theater on the corner of 15th St. and Lewis Ave., which is now a Walgreen's. Dan was visiting from his home in Colorado and heading to Washington State University to work on his master's degree. They continued a long-distance relationship and eventually married at the Presbyterian Church in Pueblo, Colorado, where Dan had a job at Pueblo County High School, and Beth worked at the Pueblo Army Depot, a U.S. Army ammunition storage and supply facility.
The couple eventually moved to Wayne, Nebraska, where Dan taught at Wayne State College, and where their first daughter, Mary, was born. Dan's next job took them to Canyon, Texas, for a job at West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University). Betty and Daniel were born in Canyon, and, while there, the family also acquired Snoopy, the first of many beloved Bassett Hounds. Dan completed his doctorate at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and he and Beth eventually moved to Stillwater, where he joined the OSU faculty. Beth loved being a faculty wife. She and Dan became lifelong supporters of Oklahoma State University.
Beth enjoyed raising her children in a college town, where the family was active in the First Presbyterian Church. She and Dan built their dream home, a mid-century modern split level with enough land around it to have a garden. Beth enjoyed the outdoors, watching birds and planting flowers. Always looking for new experiences, Beth was an outstanding cook and enjoyed trying new recipes, especially Croatian noodles and potica that she learned from her mother-in-law and that have been passed down to daughters, Mary and Betty. She also loved all things Scandinavian and filled the home with well-researched modern designer furniture. Being on a college campus, Beth was also able to take a class or two in astronomy and interior design, two of her many personal interests. She loved pointing out the constellations in the night sky to her children and grandchildren.
While Beth was a creative and curious person, her biggest love was being a mom and a grandmother, two roles where she excelled. She was the most supportive mom, always finding the money and time to provide art, music, or photography lessons, and encouraging her children to be themselves and to decorate their rooms in creative ways. She never declined a request to be a chaperone on band trips or to help out at a Girl Scout campout. She was at every performance and every graduation.
Arguably her favorite role was that of grandmother to Connor, Anna, and Mary, who loved spending time with her. Weekends or summers at Grandma and Grandpa's house were spent playing outside, building cars out of cardboard boxes, feeding the ducks or visiting the OSU bookstore on campus, reading, picking strawberries, making funnel cakes or waffles, and dozens of other fun adventures. They even built a treehouse together, and Beth ("Baba") helped them paint it and make curtains for the windows. She also climbed the ladder to bring lunch - and of course ate with them. Beth also greatly enjoyed visiting her grandchildren in Tulsa, where they'd eagerly watch for their grandparents' car to pull up. These visits were full of laughs and attending various school events, recitals and being spoiled by Grandma. Her visits during the holidays were particularly exciting, as Beth never failed to show up with countless tins of treats from homemade fudge to Croatian Potica. As the grandkids got older, Beth never missed a chance to talk with them, and to support them without judgement. She only had love for them. Beth happily traveled to several different states to attend college graduations.
And everyone enjoyed Beth's crazy sense of humor. An attractive person, she liked to tease about having a lot of "boyfriends," and she had an on-going joke with her daughter Mary about having a crush on Willie Nelson and Victor Newman, a soap opera character.
Beth's life was full of selfless love. She provided deep and unconditional love to her family and will be remembered by them with the same deep love. There is no higher legacy than that. She will be missed.
The family would like to thank Karman Legacy Hospice in Stillwater for their care. They also thank everyone at Iris Memory Care and Good Shepherd Hospice in Tulsa for their loving, respectful care during the last year of Beth's life.