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STOUGHTON - Thomas Allen Selsor, 78, passed away January 18, 2025, surrounded by his wife and family. We have it on good authority that St. Peter let him through the gates but couldn’t resist rolling his eyes a little.

Tom was born in California on May 14, 1946, to June and Allen Selsor. At 6 months of age, he moved with his mother and older sister to Nuremburg, Germany, where his father was stationed as a Colonel in the U.S. Army. Tom returned to the United States at the age of 4, fluent in German (none of which he remembered) and with a love of BMW motorcycles. After high school, he made a deal with his parents that if they let him buy a motorcycle, he would agree to go to college. So, in the summer of 1964, he took off on his motorcycle through the Rocky Mountains for Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., where he majored in English. Although his motorcycle and leather jacket caught the eye of all the ladies at Ripon, it was Carolyn Calandra who captured his heart. They were married on August 31, 1968, in Skokie, Ill. Tom would sometimes quip that marrying Carolyn was one of the few good decisions he ever made in his life.

Tom went on to earn his Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973 while also serving in the ROTC. Tom and Carolyn had their first two children while living in Madison during the late 60s and early 70s. They have many colorful stories about raising a young family during the Vietnam War on one of the country's most radical campuses. Tom fondly recalled sprinting through tear gas with his shirt over his mouth and nose to get to the library for his dissertation research.

After grad school, Tom took a job teaching literature at St. Mary's College in South Bend, Ind. Later, his entrepreneurial spirit called him to start his own business. With limited experience and even more limited funds, he and Carolyn started Berkeley Corporation, a construction company, in Granger, Ind. Together, they built and managed many residential and commercial properties in and around northern Indiana and Michigan. In 2001, they also started a BMW Motorcycle shop in South Bend, Ind., with their oldest son.

After retiring from a successful career in real estate and construction, Tom and Carolyn moved to Stoughton, Wis. (just outside Madison) in 2009, where they have lived since. Tom stayed involved in the community, serving on the Stoughton City Council for several years and writing frequent pieces for the Madison and Stoughton newspapers.

He loved Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and famously after a few drinks, Harry Belafonte. (Ask us the story later.) He read and wrote poetry and short stories, loved Thoreau, Frost, Longfellow and Dickinson. He loved Melville, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Twain. He loved unique vintage cars and owned many through his life which he also shared with his children.

Tom is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carolyn; his children, Mike, Andy, and Maria; his daughters-in law, Laurie and Bettina; and his grandchildren, Tyler, Johanna, Robbie and Corrina; as well as many cherished nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son, Dan; and his sisters, Pat Travis and Lorraine Petzy.

Visitation will be held at GUNDERSON STOUGHTON FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 1358 Highway 51 N. at Jackson St., Stoughton, on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 10 a.m. with a service to follow at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Stoughton Public Library, one of his favorite places to be.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Stoughton
Funeral & Cremation Care
1358 Highway 51 N. @ Jackson St.
(608) 873-4590

Thomas A. Selsor

May 14, 1946 - January 18, 2025

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