There are condolences waiting approval on Lydia's Tribute wall
Celebrating the life of Lydia S. Shelby
Be the first to share your favorite memory, photo or story of
Lydia.
This memorial page is dedicated for family, friends and future generations to celebrate
the life of their loved one.
We ask on behalf of the family that you keep your comments uplifting and appropriate
to help all who come here to find comfort and healing.
Obituary for Lydia S. Shelby
Lydia Shelby Selig passed away, in her apartment with her family by her side. She is survived by her husband, Richard Jr., her daughter Margaret Rubin, her son Michael, grand-daughter Jamie and grandson David. She lived in Manhattan, where she loved to attend theater, ballet and classical music concerts. Her Upper East Side apartment overlooked First Avenue, and she became known among her friends for her annual NYC Marathon parties. Lydia was a top student at the University of Michigan, and graduated from Brooklyn College, to which she transferred to care for her ailing mother. She loved to travel: Asia, Australia, Bali, France, Mexico, Scandinavia, Singapore, South Africa and more. Her travel interest led her to careers in the business, first as a travel agent and then as a meeting planner. She spent her child-raising years in Larchmont, N.Y., and her summers then in Fair Harbor on Fire Island. She left her imprint on Fair Harbor, designing and building two houses and starting the swim school. Lydia was born in the Bronx on Dec. 30, 1927 to Mildred and Donald Slayton. Over the course of her life, she built long-term friendships, from college classmates to people a generation younger to those that helped her as she grew ill with Parkinson’s disease. Despite the effects of Parkinson’s, she fought hard to do what she enjoyed for as long as her health allowed. There will be a graveside service Tuesday, May 2 at 1:30 pm, at Union Field Cemetery of Congregation Rodeph Sholem, 8211 Cypress Ave., Ridgewood, NY. In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests charitable donations to health- or arts-related charities in Lydia’s memory.
