Meeting Seller’s Best Friend
Me with Ken and Ginny Russell, September 2013
“I was Thomas Seller’s best friend…”
At the time I heard Ken Russell speak these words, Mr. Seller had been dead for 18 years and his wife Lucile for 11. The Sellers had no children. I didn’t think there would be a way to obtain Thomas’ copyright, learn stories of his life or get photos. Who could I interview? Finding Ken was a gift from God.
Oops, I’m jumping to the end of the story. Let me start at the beginning.
If you have read other pages on this website, you probably know that Mr. Seller was the author of the poems in God’s Song. He self-published them in 1974 in a collection called Psalm Poems. After much research, I obtained copyright to his works.
During that research phase of this book project, I discovered which funeral home handled Lucile’s arrangements. Employees of the home forwarded letters from me to three individuals named in her file (they couldn’t give me their names or contact information.) One letter went to “a friend” named as personal representative.
When that friend contacted me, she gave me the name of another couple who knew the Sellers better than she. That couple was Ken and Ginny Russell.
The Russells have been very supportive of this book project. They invited me and my husband to their home, shared stories and photos, and have recordings of Thomas reading his poetry that they will let us copy (I’ll put some on this site later.)
Ken knew Thomas for almost 60 years. He was just a small boy when Thomas came to his house for Bible study and prayer. As he grew, he always looked up to Thomas as “one of the most Godly men I ever knew.”
Ken is a great storyteller. He was a teacher and is now in his 80’s. The Russells invited the Sellers to their house for holidays and have many memories of Ginny playing the piano, with everyone gathered around while Thomas’ deep bass voice boomed out in harmony.
Meeting the Russells has been an extra blessing on this adventure of getting Seller’s book reprinted.
God's Song 