Wayne Lynn Selmer, formerly of Skagway and Haines, passed away January 4, 2025, in Whitefish, Montana.
He was born on October 16, 1949, in Juneau, to Oscar and Alice Selmer of Skagway. He joined a brother, Stan, who was 14 months his senior. Soon they were joined by a sister, Sherrie. The family lived in a home at 7th and Broadway, where their father, Oscar, grew up.
Wayne started school at the Pius X Mission. When it closed, he moved on to the Skagway Public School and graduated from there in 1967. During high school summer breaks and after graduation, Wayne worked for the White Pass & Yukon Railway as a section hand. He was drafted and joined the United States Navy.
After his service, he returned to Skagway to work for the railroad and Standard Oil. Eventually he made his way to the United States Postal Service. He started as a clerk in the Skagway Post Office, moved to Haines to be the postmaster, and retired from the postal offices in Anchorage.
Wayne knew the people in Skagway and Haines by their post office box numbers. He prided himself in memorizing them all. He also liked to guess the weight of the letter or parcel you were mailing before he weighed it, and he even liked to guess the weight of your baby before weighing him/her on the postal scale!
Wayne loved the outdoors. He loved fishing, hiking, walking and chatting with people he met along the way. You would see him out scouting the beach for logs he could cut up for his wood stove. He was a collector of books, stamps, post cards, art, memorabilia, and anything that might catch his eye at a garage sale or in a thrift shop.
He was active in both southeast communities using his skills as an auctioneer to raise money for various charities. The 4th of July in Skagway, found him auctioning off homemade goodies for the Emblem Club, and in the fall helping with the Bald Eagle Festival in Haines.
After his retirement from the post office, Wayne went to work summers at the Skagway Visitors’ Center sharing the community he loved with travelers from all over the world.
Finally, he decided it was time to move closer to his sister. He packed up and moved to Kalispell, Montana. There he spent his time going to garage sales and thrift shops with his sister, playing cribbage, Farkle and other games with his family.
His last months were spent in the Columbia Falls Veterans Home.
A memorial service was held at the First Baptist Church of Whitefish, Montana on February 5th.
Wayne is survived by his cat, Coco, his brother, Stan (Maxine), his sister, Sherrie (Mike); nephews, Phillip Selmer (Emi ly), Tom Selmer (Kelly), Michael Colyer (Trina), Jeremy Colyer (Robin), and his nieces Stepha nie Kirk (Chris), and Katherine Moseley (Eric); 12 great nieces and nephews; and 2 great-great nephews and a niece.
A Celebration of Wayne’s life will be held in the spring in Skagway. Stay tuned.
Donations may be made in Wayne’s name to the Paws and Claws Animal Rescue Shelter, PO Box 825, Skagway, AK 99840, or to the charity of your choice.