Welcome to the memorial page for Sarah Campanella-Selby. This page was created to remember and share memories about Sarah’s life and to keep her spirit alive today and always. Sarah was my sister and also my friend. She was so much fun and every time we got together we laughed, we cried and had the best... see moreWelcome to the memorial page for Sarah Campanella-Selby. This page was created to remember and share memories about Sarah’s life and to keep her spirit alive today and always. Sarah was my sister and also my friend. She was so much fun and every time we got together we laughed, we cried and had the best times. We’ve been through so much together and I feel blessed that God chose me as her sister. We had our share of ups and downs, as most sisters and friends do, but at the end of the day I loved and cared for her and wish I could have done more. Distance is a difficult thing and it is hard to really see things for the way they truly are if you are not physically there. I know Sarah had a lot of friends and family throughout the different chapters in her life, so I felt it was important to give a brief biography and to share some of the wonderful things she got to experience and accomplish. If you could please take a moment to share a special memory you had with Sarah, we would love to hear your story and if you have any pictures you would like to share as well, they are welcomed. Please remember that we are asking for happy, special memories and to be respectful when posting or sharing.
Sarah was born on May 19th, 1984 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania to her mother Dina. Sarah was predeceased by her father Scott, who passed in 1983 prior to Dina being aware that she was pregnant with Sarah. Dina and Scott were married at the young ages of 18 and 21. Scott was in the Navy and they had only been married a short time before his passing.
Sarah spent her early years in Pennsylvania and at the age of 2 moved to Alaska with her Mother, Step-Father Michael and her sister Kayleigh who was born 22 months after Sarah. Then at the age of 7, Sarah and her family relocated to New York for work purposes where she lived for many years and completed her High School Education. New York was a great place to be with a lot of fun things to do and her extended family was only a few hours away. Sarah’s mother would always take her to Pennsylvania on the holidays and during school breaks to see her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Sarah loved visits with her family and all her cousins growing up and always looked forward to them. In her younger years, Sarah was involved in Baton and Campfire Girls and in middle and junior high school she was a top student and ran track and field. She loved to run and be involved in extracurricular programs playing sports or learning different crafts. She was also very artistic and was great at drawing and painting. She loved animals and was always going out of her way to help, care for and feed them. She would feel so bad sometimes that she would bring stray cats home. She would hide them in her bedroom and then when she would leave for school in the morning, her mother would find little paws sticking out from under her bedroom door or hear them meowing. Her mother would help find a good home or shelter for the cats to help Sarah feel better since she couldn’t keep them. She had a couple of years where some life changes took her slightly off course, but Sarah regained her strength and focus and got right back on track and graduated high school in 2003.
After graduation, she worked with a ground crew at the local airport assisting and providing service for airlines and general aviation. Sarah then relocated to Savannah, Georgia in 2006 where she started her Associates Degree with South University. During her time in Georgia, Sarah met someone who she became close with and who shared a lot of the same passions and hobbies. They both decided that they wanted to join the Navy. Sarah passed all the medical, physical and academic standards required and started her training for rescue diving in late 2007. She then transferred into aircraft maintenance and avionics and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. During her time in Norfolk, Sarah deployed for 6 months overseas on an aircraft carrier. Even though it was hard work on the carrier, she got to experience some beautiful countries like Malta and Turkey.
Shortly after her deployment was completed, Sarah met her husband Josh who was also in the Navy. They had an instant connection and not long after dating, became engaged and married. They were accomplishing so much together and a short time after they married in 2012, a beautiful daughter named Alula Ray Selby was born. Sarah had completed her certification in Animal Studies and Handling and worked as a Veterinarian Assistant with SPCA while also raising her daughter Alula. Her husband Josh continued climbing the ranks in the Navy where he is still active as Chief today. They bought a house together in Virginia Beach and were thriving as new parents. When Sarah became a mother, she was so happy and enjoyed every minute of the love and affection she received from her daughter. Sarah was always such a loving and caring person. She would give the shirt off her back to help someone, even if she barely knew them. As Alula got a bit older and started going to pre-school, Sarah decided that she wanted to start taking classes again to finish her Bachelors degree. She started taking online courses while balancing her busy schedule. Being someone who was always athletic and physically fit, she was active at Solderfit which is a functional fitness program that encompasses training, camaraderie and much more. It is a higher level of fitness for those that are more experienced and determined. She also participated at fundraisers for Soldierfit, “Muddy Princess” triathlons and loved taking her Kayak out on new adventures. Even though she loved working with animals and it was a passion for her, financially she wanted a better opportunity. While continuing her online education, Sarah began a new work opportunity working as a Bail Bondsman. It was a tough job, but not one that Sarah couldn’t handle.
Things were going well, but Sarah was someone who was always very hard on herself. Harder then she should have been. She also used her strength to hide her emotions and never was someone who liked asking for help. After dealing with those negative emotions for some time, her mental health began to diminish and Sarah fell into a state of depression. Her friends and family knew she was having a bit of a hard time, but no one was aware of how bad things really were mentally and emotionally.
On January 3rd, 2021, Sarah decided to end her own life. It is important to be honest about Sarah’s situation as a way for those to understand and be aware of suicide prevention. Suicide is not inevitable for anyone. Every human life is unique and valuable. I cannot turn back time or change what happened, but I can try my best to spread awareness. Our words are our greatest assets when someone we love is in crisis. Through a caring conversation, we can show someone that they are not alone, they are loved, and there is hope. No one deserves to be remembered simply for a single decision, however flawed. No matter how challenging Sarah’s life may have been towards the end, it also held moments of joy, friendship, achievement and happiness that deserve to be remembered. Sarah needs to be remembered by the whole life she lived, in all its richness.