Helen Elizabeth Selig

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch, which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. — George Bernard Shaw Helen Elizabeth Selig, former Mayor of Hot Springs and beloved matriarch, died Friday, February 18, after a long and valiant battle with Alzheimer's. She was 84. Born Helen Boyd in Siloam Springs, she was the daughter of Samuel Ryland Boyd and Catherine Elizabeth Bell Boyd, and a devoted sister to Catherine Sue Devero. She and her husband of 64 years, John David Selig, raised their four children across several states and communities - De Queen, Ark.; Philadelphia, Miss.; Coos Bay, Ore.; Kent, Wash.; and finally, Hot Springs, Ark. In each town, Helen brought a passion for public service and community engagement, and in Hot Springs, that led to her term as Mayor. Serving from 1994 to 2000, Helen was proud to show off her adopted hometown and spearhead economic and civic development. During her tenure, the Hot Springs Civic and Convention Center was constructed, and through her passionate lobbying, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts opened. Helen was a commercial realtor and founder, with her son, Scott, of the longtime Selig Commercial Real Estate in Hot Springs. She was a founding member of the Arkansas Women's Leadership Forum and the Women's Foundation of Arkansas and the first female Chair of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. Helen also served on the boards of the Oaklawn Foundation, her local NAACP, the Hot Springs Music Festival, and the national St John's Mercy Health System in Springfield, Mo., among others. Helen will be most dearly remembered by her family. Known to her 11 grandchildren and four great-granddaughters as "Nana", Helen led her tribe on adventures from the Uffizi in Florence, Italy, to Iguazu Falls in Argentina, to Gulpha Gorge in Hot Springs. She was a matriarch with high standards and even greater love, and she instilled in each the importance of leading a contributory life and of doing so together, as a family. She was preceded in death by her father; mother; and sister; and her torch will burn on through her children, Dr. Sarah Selig Carrier (Mark) of Johnson City, Tenn.; John Mark Selig (Jeannie Fetting) of Benton; Scott Selig (Kris) of Durham, N.C., and Michael Selig of Big Sur, Calif.; along with her grandchildren, First Sergeant Allister Hawkins, Dr. Evan Allie, Kevin Selig, Lacy Selig, Anna Murphy, Sam Selig, Clifford Hawkins, SarahBelle Selig, Jack Selig, Mary Catherine Selig, and Vyla J'Neva Selig; and her great-grandchildren: Elliott, Rose Elizabeth, Theodora Joyce, and Helen Ann; and of course, her devoted husband, John David Selig. Helen, Mom, Nana - You are our sunshine. Memorial Mass will be held at St. Mary of the Springs Catholic Church in Hot Springs, Ark., on Thursday, February 24, at 11 a.m., followed by a reception. Arrangements are by: Hot Springs Funeral Home Online condolences at: www.hotspringsfh.com.