Marjean Larae Selby

MarJean Selby of Tucker, Georgia passed away on Sunday April 10, 2022, at the age of 75. MarJean was born in Minot, North Dakota on June 7, 1946, as MarJean LaRae Ostrom and raised on a cattle ranch in Kief, North Dakota where she rode her horse to a one-roomed school and milked cows in minus degree temperatures before going to school. She left North Dakota after she graduated high school to go work on her uncle’s lunch cart, in Fresno, CA, where she met her husband, Will Selby. From there the two transferred to Pennsylvania and New York before settling in Tucker, Georgia. Once in Georgia the couple started a construction company together, known first as Will-Mar and later Dayne-Rae Construction, affectionately named after their daughter, Verdayne Rae Selby. MarJean and Will were known all over Georgia and had many loyal and repeated customers and employees for over 20 years. After separating from her husband in the late 90s, MarJean set out on her own, birthing MarJean Selby Contracting, as one of the few women-owned contracting businesses around.  When she wasn’t making bids or managing projects, she could be found at the job site bringing homemade baked goods to her guys, including her red velvet cake, known as the “best in town.” In addition to being a business owner, MarJean was quite active in many groups and organizations where she met people all over the country as a member of the Red Hat Society, with the Stone Mountain Belles, a member of the Zannies4 (where she donned the handle name “Red Hat Contractor”) and a part of swim and tennis clubs, where she shared her love for the game with her daughter, Verdayne. In addition, she had a passion for travelling and had been to every state in the USA except for Hawaii.

MarJean Selby had such a zeal for life and was well loved by all who crossed her path. Her greatest joy was her large family get-togethers, where she always made her famous macaroni and cheese. MarJean was looking forward to retirement and moving closer to her daughter, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to start farming and gardening again, with the hopes of passing these traditions onto them. In MarJean’s final days, she had a brain tumor that was found out to be cancer. MarJean spent her final weeks on this earth with her family by her side.  She passed peacefully in her daughter’s home, where she was surrounded by love.

MarJean is survived by her daughter, Verdayne, and her husband Chris Burge; granddaughter, Gracie Burge, brothers Douglas Ostrom, Dennis Ostrom, and his wife Nancy; sister Beatty Jaeger and her husband Pete; several nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, step-granddaughters; Brittany Wilson and her husband Darrell; Heather Strickland and her husband Brett; Taylor Talley and her husband Travis; and 14 step great-grandchildren. MarJean is proceeded in death by her parents Leonard and Marjorie Ostrom, brother Delton Ostrom, sister Donna Sweig, and her former husband, Will Selby.

Visitation for MarJean Selby will be on Friday, April 22, 2022, from 12:00PM to 2:00PM. The funeral service will take place at 2:00PM in the chapel at A.S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory: 2773 North Decatur Road Decatur, GA 30033. Telephone: 404-292-1551.

Per her wishes, MarJean’s final resting place will be in North Dakota, West Scandia Cemetery Sheridan County, North Dakota.