Patricia "Patti" Sell's Obituary
Patricia “Patti” Sell (nee Sharkey), age 76, of Wakeman, passed away on Thursday, October 8, 2015 at Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, after a courageous battle.
Born on March 31, 1939 in Lorain, she graduated from Lorain High School in 1957.
Patti was the co-owner of Sell’s Christmas Tree & Reindeer Farm in Wakeman, Ohio From 1985 until the present. With her husband, Alan, children, grandchildren and family friends, Patti organized and managed the yearly Christmas tree operation on Sell’s farm. Over the years, this included hosting tours of the farm operation for local schools and organizations, a unique gift shop, Christmas tree sales, and reindeer exhibits. Over the last 30 years, many families from across Ohio and neighboring states have made visiting Sell’s Christmas Tree & Reindeer farm a tradition for the generations.
In 1976 Patti began working for Poly One Corporation (formerly known as Geon Corp, BF Goodrich), retiring from there in 1996. She was one of five women to be the first female employees at BF Goodrich in Avon Lake, Ohio to work in a chemical process.
Patti was a member of Society of Plastics Engineers, Reindeer Owners & Breeders Association and Ohio Christmas Tree Association. She was also the first female to deliver newspapers for The Lorain Journal.
In her free time, she enjoyed gardening, reading, bird watching, bicycling, hiking, sewing and crafts.
She is survived by her husband, Walter Alan Sell (Alan); her children, Joseph A. Kokinda (Debbie); Avon, Elizabeth A. (Beth) Neidlinger (Dave), Lindale, TX; Paul A. Kokinda (Terri Turner), Elyria; Michael D. Kokinda (Cathy), Lorain; Suzanne M. Sell, Parma Heights; her step-children, Trevor Sell, North Ridgeville; Kristin Sell, Avon; and Tina Floyd (Dwight Finney), Atwater, OH; 18 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; and her siblings, Brad Elles, Berea; and Chris Elles (Barbara), Hampton Cove, AL.
She was preceded in death by her parents, George Sharkey, Stepfather Bert Elles and Ann Elles (Harmon).
Patti donated her body for medical research through an organization called MedCure.
The family will receive friends at a Celebration of Life and visitation on Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of memorial service at 12:00 noon in the Dovin and Reber Jones Funeral & Cremation Center, 1110 Cooper Foster Park Rd., Amherst.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dovinreberjones.com
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