Charles Selby Herrin, age 83, returned to his Heavenly Father on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 3:15 pm surrounded by his loving wife and family members at his home in Provo, Utah. Dementia, a fast-moving flu, and other health problems were the causes. He is the second of eight children (six boys and two girls) born to Charles Curtis and Wyllowdeene Selby Herrin. He was born in Mechanicsburg, Miss., a beautiful rural community in the pine tree-covered hill country.

He married Vila Jean Williams in the Salt Lake Temple on December 1, 1961. They have nine wonderful, loving children—six girls and three boys: Rebecca Kay (James) Wright of Layton, Ut; Michael Jay (Dawneen) Herrin of Roy, Ut; ViAna Ruth (Aaron) Brower of Washington City, Ut; Lauralie (Luis) Morales of Provo, Ut; Deena DeLaine (Kent) Pankratz of Nauvoo, Ill; Daniel Selby (Carol) Herrin of Provo, Ut; Thomas Curtis (Carolina) Herrin of Spanish Fork, Ut; Jeannie Minyon (Matthew) Young of Woodland, Ut; and TerriLyn (David) Hill of Idaho Falls, ID.

His mother and father were taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the kind missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and were baptized in 1941 when Selby was 2 ½ years old which started him on his lifelong love of the Gospel. He was baptized when eight years old in the Jackson, Mississippi Stake building

Selby was an adventurous, active, outdoors fellow who loved to hunt squirrels and deer with his brothers Gene and LaMar. He loved to fish for perch and catfish in the many ponds. All those were good eating cooked up southern style by his mother who was an excellent cook.

When he was 12, he and his brother LaMar were building a fun go-cart out of wooden boards. Selby was holding down a board with his left hand and sawing it in two when the saw bent and jumped out of the groove on the down swing and cut off his left thumb at the first joint. Oh, how that hurt! Mom came running, got him and the end piece to the doctor but it could not be stitched back on. His brother LaMar later teased Selby's wife Vi that she would never have all of him until the resurrection.

Selby learned to work hard on the family's farm. They raised hogs and grew field corn to feed them. He became a master gardener and could grow anything. He could fix most anything and was good at what he decided to do.

When Selby was seven years old, the family was very happy when their new home was built. They finally had electricity and indoor plumbing.

When a teenager in high school, he and brothers Gene and LaMar would help take care of their grandfather who lived alone after his wife died. Selby helped dress him and do some good cooking for him. They took turns helping "Papaw" each day.

Selby graduated from Satartia High School in May, 1957, with honors and was salutatorian of his class. He was an excellent student and desired to attend college. He applied to BYU and was accepted and awarded a scholarship.

He met his future wife Vila Jean on January 29, 1959, at BYU at a Confederate Club dance party during his sophomore year. He fell head-over-heels in love and knew he wanted to get to know her better. He did and they became engaged in May. He always wanted to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and she had her sights set on marrying a returned missionary. So she gladly waited for him to return while wearing his engagement ring. He was called to the Northwestern States Mission which included Washington, Oregon, western Idaho and Alaska and served from August, 1959 to August, 1961, with commitment and honor.

The newlyweds lived in Wymount Village for $38.00 a month. Selby worked at Cannon Center Cafeteria for $80.00 per month. The income increased when he was awarded a research assistantship under Dorald Allred and D. Eldon Beck, two wonderful professors. Selby graduated on May 30, 1963, with his Bachelor of Science degree with a zoology major and botany minor.

Selby and Vi were hired by BYU Women's Housing to be head residents in Amanda Knight Hall Dec. of 1963, the last year it was used for housing. Daughter Rebecca was born the following April 3rd. They were then transferred to the new Deseret Towers Bennion Hall to be head residents over 170 young women in 1964, and then moved to Whitney Hall in Heritage Halls where son Michael was born in Aug. of 1965.

On May 27, 1966, Selby graduated from BYU with his Masters degree in medical entomology with a minor in microbiology. He was next accepted by the Ohio State University where he received his PhD in the same major in 1969. Daughters ViAna and Lauralie were born there in Columbus.

Then off to the University of Georgia for a post doctorate. Daughter Deena was born in Athens, Georgia. Next on to Georgia Southern College in Statesboro for another post doctorate.

He was soon hired by BYU to work on the research faculty with Dr. Vernon Tipton, so the family moved to Provo, Utah, in 1972 . And more babies came—Dan, '74, Tom, '75, Jeannie, '78 and TerriLyn, '82. He worked on tick research for 15 years having many of his papers published in The Great Basin Naturalist and other publications. When the research grants played out, he went to work for Code 3M company located in Salt Lake City for 3 years, then Novell for 14 years (because of his excellent computer skills he had developed), then back to BYU in the Graduate Studies department for 5 years. He retired from there in 2006.

And all the while in Provo he milked two cows each day, raised a beautiful huge garden every summer, had pigs, ducks, llamas, sheep, milk goats, chickens, fallow deer, rabbits, and supported his family and held church positions. What a dear hard-working outstanding man!

Our dear, loving, sweet, kind husband and father was absolutely wonderful to family and friends. He is just a gentle, loyal, faithful giant.

And yes, he served faithfully in his many church callings on top of it all. He has been a stake executive secretary, a young men's mutual leader, a full time missionary, elders' quorum president in Ohio, branch president in Georgia and at the MTC, ward executive secretary, bishop of Sunset Third Ward 1974 to 1980, high priest teacher, nursery co-leader with Vi, faithful home teacher all the time, and stake patriarch, having given 252 blessings before dementia became a problem. He and Vi also fulfilled a service mission at the wonderful Heber Valley Young Womens' Camp for three summers in 2008, 2009 and 2011 which they enjoyed so much. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

He is preceded in death by his parents and four brothers. He leaves behind his dear wife of sixty-one years, nine children, thirty-six grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren; three siblings, Claudia Hayes, South Carolina, Calvin (Martha) Herrin, Provo, Utah, Ane Hornibrook, Oregon, sister-in-law Mickey Herrin, Oregon, and many nieces and nephews.

The family thanks all friends who have been so kind in loving and serving us at this tender time. Thank you to First Choice Hospice for their sweet, gentle care of our precious Selby, our fun-loving Mississippi country boy. Dearest Selby, we love you dearly and miss you so much, but we shall all be together forever again. Till we meet again at our Savior's feet, take care, be happy, know how dearly we love you and thank you for the memories. Ya'll come back again now, ya hear?!

Funeral Services will be on Saturday February 11, 2023 at 11:00 am in the Sunset 3rd Ward Chapel, 1090 West 1020 South, Provo Utah. Friends may visit with the family on Friday February 10, 2023 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home 85 East 300 South, Provo or on Saturday from 9:30-10:30 am at the church prior to the service. Interment will be in the Provo City Cemetery. There will be a webcast on our site on Saturday starting at 11:00 am. Just go to www.walkersanderson.com.