Selma Sipes

Selma Sipes, 60, died on September 26, in Phoenix, after being Life-Flighted there due to a catastrophic brain aneurism. Her death was sudden and unexpected.
Mrs. Sipes was born June 8, 1957 in San Diego, California. Selma was
the daughter of Ignacio Arriaga and Selma P. Arriaga. She grew up in Chula Vista, CA and graduated from Castle Park High School in 1975. Selma met Fred Sipes in 1978, who was a U.S. Navy man, fell in love, and were married in that same year. They began a family, and had two daughters, Brandywine M. Sipes and Selma L. Sipes, both born in San Diego, CA. Selma was a life-long Catholic and devoted herself to the care of others.
Selma was always a sports fan and a sports mother. She and her husband
joined bowling leagues, softball teams, and lead football teams while living in Chula Vista. Selma spent countless hours at the ballparks in San Diego and Chula Vista keeping statistics for teams and recording all data from Little League events and players at every game. She assisted children in need and become known as "Momma Coach." In Chula Vista, Selma organized and led team cheerleaders, including her own daughters, year after year. She loved helping others, and did so at every stage of her life; always took sympathy on those who were downtrodden and often helped others in need in her early years, especially troubled youth. These attributes were to set the stage for her life-long behavior of helping others.
In 2004 Selma and family moved from Southern California to Casa
Grande, to be nearer their daughters and grandchildren. Selma began volunteer work for Casa Grande’s St. Vincent de Paul, which is affiliated with St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. She eventually became Conference Administrator of St. Vincent de Paul’s, where Selma helped literally thousands of people in the last 15 years. She organized collections of new school supplies and clothing for needy children every year. Selma provided more than 800 frozen turkeys for organizational holiday meal drives for the poor. Her efforts provided travelers with motel, food and gas vouchers when needed. Selma directed management of the St. Vincent Thrift Store and the Food Pantry. She also contacted local merchants like Walmart, Fry’s, Safeway, etc. and established a cooperative collection of food and toys for distribution to the homeless. She obtained a delivery truck to make daily rounds in the community and hired drivers to pick up furniture and clothing donations from area residents. She provided support to the local Knights of Columbus and Elks feeding of the poor, especially at Thanksgiving each year, accompanied by her daughters and grandchildren, to whom she taught the philosophy of helping others. Selma loved and respected her employees and volunteers. She also often provided food donations to a Mexican Orphanage in Sonoyta MX and was a Madre to the Mexican community of Casa Grande. Selma helped the mentally ill and addicted who live on the fringe of society. She provided them with counseling, food boxes, shelter, and compassion. She became their surrogate mother, scolding as well as hugging them. Selma helped countless troubled people of all economic levels of the community.
On her last day of life, Selma picked up a young child to care for in her own home. This was the kind of person Selma was. She will be missed
She is survived by her husband, Fredrick W. Sipes; daughters, Brandy
and Selma Sipes; three grandchildren, Ezra Lockhart, Hezekiah Lockhart
and Zechariah Lockhart; her mother, Selma Arriaga; sisters, Concepcion
Bentzler, Angelica Rodriguez, Aurora Munoz, Alma Hurtado; and brothers,
Ignacio Arriaga Jr. and Jose Arriaga.
A Memorial Remembrance for family will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, Sept.
29th at St. Helen’s Church Hall.
Services at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church on Saturday, Sept. 30th, as
follows: Holy Rosary at 7:30 a.m. and Memorial Service at 8:00 a.m. with reception in Community Center afterwards.The family requests that any donations be given to St. Vincent De Paul Society.