Obituary: Dr. April Rose Selley, Ph. D, 61

Dr. April Rose Selley, Ph.D., age 61, passed away on Wednesday, July 13, 2016 in Rotterdam, New York. She was the beloved daughter of John Selley and the late Roseline (Dias) Selley and the beloved sister of Jody Selley.

She was a communicant of St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady, NY and St. Elizabeth’s Church in Bristol, RI. Born in Providence and raised in Bristol, she graduated as valedictorian from Our Lady of Fatima High School, earned her B.A. in English from Providence College (graduating second in her class) and earned a Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Brown University.

She taught Literature and Creative Writing for thirteen years at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY and American Literature, Creative Writing and Poetry for 15 years at Union College in Schenectady. She was a Fulbright Lecturer in American Literature in Portugal and in Japan and was an avid traveler who explored thirty-one of the United States and twenty-one countries on four continents. A dedicated writer, she published numerous works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, as well as scholarly articles on American Literature and popular culture, especially Star Trek.

She wishes that her many loving relatives and friends live long and prosper.

Funeral services from the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood Street, Bristol, Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 A.M. in St. Elizabeth’s Church, 577 Wood Street, Bristol. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Chestnut Street, Bristol. Visiting hours will be Monday, July 18, 2016 from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. For online condolences, shared memories, information and directions go to www.sansonefuneralhome.com