Esther Celeste Selman -Briggs was born on February 24, 1929 in Josey Hill, St. Lucy, Barbados, to Victor Hinds and Millicent Hurley Hinds. She was known by family and friends as Celeste. She was one of nine siblings, three of whom are still alive-Joyce Carter (90), Clovene Deane (85), and Erold Hinds (82). As children we called her "Ma" and later as the grands and great grands were born, she became affectionately known as "Granny". We were told that as a child growing up, she always loved the best things which continued throughout her entire life.She attended St. Clement’s school in St. Lucy. In September of 1950 she married Cecil Carlisle Selman and that union produced five children- Dianne, Judy, Jill , Sherry and Hugh (Cheddie)
Her strong faith in God was instilled in her children and she made sure that they sought the Lord through attending church services, related events and Sunday school teachings.
In 1966 she emigrated to the United states in search of the "better life" for her family. Initially she worked as a nanny and later with the famous singer Tony Bennett which was the highlight of her blossoming life in the United States. Those experiences led her to broaden her horizons, becoming certified as a Pediatric and Geriatric Nursing Attendant. In 1970 she joined the staff at Brooklyn Jewish hospital as a Nursing Attendant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) This unit of Nursing held a special place in her heart, since her youngest daughter Sherry was a"preemie" and weighed only 4 pounds 4 ounces at birth. However, in 1995 after twenty-five years of faithful and dedicated service, she retired from the work she loved and enjoyed. She continued her quest to care for those in need, by establishing her home in Brooklyn as a NYC approved Adult Home. In addition to her busy life, she loved traveling, cooking, baking, babysitting, gardening taking long walks, singing, dancing and feeding the hungry. She was known for her many elegant hats and no outfit was complete without one of them. She was a member of Kingslawn Presbyterian Church but had spent many years at St. Albans Episcopal Church in Brooklyn.
In March of 2015, she suffered a heart attack, followed by a stroke in July of that same year. Her failing health led to a hospitalization on April 12, 2021 and on April 26 she was transferred to Seacrest Nursing Home for rehabilitation. in spite of her pain and health challenges her faith in God never wavered. On Saturday June 19, 2021, Jesus called our beloved " Granny" home very peacefully to her eternal rest.
She leaves to mourn her three siblings, her five beloved children, Dianne Selman-Olatunde, Judy Selman , Jill Selman, Sherry (Freager Saunders 111), Cheddie, her grandchildren- Kathy(Marcus) Chris, Shane, Matthew(Shauntae ) Derrick, Lance (Chrissy) Sean,her adopted grand daughter Carol Ann Dixon (Kyani, Taya ), Freager IV and Lance S (Michele) her eleven great grandchildren-Cade, Sydney, Camryn, Crista, Logan, Nash, Blake, Amar, Landon, Cali, and Layson, several cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives , her church family and friends here and abroad .
