William "Bill" Paul Self

William Paul Self was born June 29, 1939 to Edward and Emma (Garcia) Self in Lamar, Colorado. He had two younger siblings, a sister Christine and a brother Eddie. He attended school in Springfield, Colorado Springs and Mancos, CO through his freshman year. He loved classic cars and belonged to a car club while living in Colorado Springs. Bill joined the navy in 1957 serving as a seaman aboard the destroyer USS Johnnie Hutchins until it was decommissioned and was discharged in 1958. He was then transferred into the navy reserves from active duty until 1963. Bill was honored to receive a Quilt of Valor in 2019.

Bill later moved to California to stay with his sister and recover after a serious car accident. This is where he met and married Lahauna Crews. Lahauna already had an 18 month old son named Randy that Bill later adopted. Shannon joined the family in 1967 and Devlon came last but not least in 1972. Lahauna died in 1973 after a battle with breast cancer. Bill worked many jobs throughout his life in Colorado and California including selling turquoise, helping build Norad and custom harvesting with his dad. In 1977 he put down roots and started farming full time with his dad and brother Eddie. In 1979 he built a new house 4 miles north of Springfield. After 10 years of being a single father, he met Rama (George) Kelley. Rama already had a 12 year old daughter named Teresa. They were married on August 2, 1981. Anyone who ever talked to Bill knew right away that he had a unique accent. To be more specific, he had a real hard time pronouncing his “R’s”. His wife’s name was ‘Wama’ not Rama.

Bill and Rama were big supporters of the Springfield High School Band while the kids were all in school. During a band trip to Canon City, Bill, Rama and the band director’s wife were sitting on the curb watching the parade when a lady standing behind them with a rather large purse kept hitting Bill in the back of the head. Bill looked over at Rama and the band director’s wife and said “if that lady doesn’t quit hitting me in the back of the head with her ‘puss’, I’m going to take out my knife and cut it off”. The band director’s wife looked over at Rama with eyes as big as silver dollars and said “did he just say what I thought he said?”

In his younger years, no matter what he was doing, he was always in a hurry. Bill loved to dance and especially liked to waltz, but Rama had to count or he would get off. He always requested the band play ‘Waltz Across Texas’ when they went to dances. It took some doing, but Rama finally convinced him that they needed to take dance lessons and the rest is history. In 1986 they decided to try their hand at raising sheep. They did this for several years. In 1990 they acquired a mail route delivering mail from Springfield to Boise City, OK six days a week. Bill decided that Rama needing something else to do so in 1994 they acquired another mail route. It was a tri-weekly route delivering mail out of Springfield. They also purchased their first 5th wheel this same year. Every year after the wheat was planted they would take off in the fifth-wheel and go visit all the kids who were now grown and lived in Tennessee and Georgia. They also joined a travel group called Sage Brush Sam’s based out of Lamar. They made several trips to Zapata where Rama’s parents wintered. Bill loved to cruise, so he and Rama went on several cruises with several other couples throughout the years.

In 1999, Bill retired from farming but still had the mail routes. They sold their farm, and built a new house in Springfield. During this time they began to travel more and would spend 2-3 months in Texas or Arizona in the winter months. In 2010, Bill retired from delivering the mail. Bill was very competitive and loved to bowl, play marbles and dominoes and gamble. His favorite card game was Texas Hold’em. After moving to town, they joined Springfield Methodist Church, where he ushered and operated the lift, until his health started to fail. Around 2014, his eyesight began to fail as well. They sold the 5th wheel and since Bill loved to travel they began to take bus trips. They traveled to Niagara Falls, Miami, California and many places in between. Bill never was very good at sitting still and so he volunteered himself to help the bus driver with the loading and unloading of the luggage. While on the bus trips, Bill’s most frequent question was…”Do they have Ice Cream?” He never ate the ice cream out of a bowl, like a normal person, he always ate if off of a plate, because he could get more. Bill never met a stranger making numerous friends along their travels. In between trips, in the summer he started cutting grass for some elderly ladies. When he decided to stop doing that, he took up scraping metals, but his favorite thing was collecting and crushing aluminum cans. Even to the point of picking them up on the side of the road. He did this until his eyesight and memory, would no longer allow him to continue.

April 2, 2024, Bill’s health had declined to the point that he entered the nursing home. And on April 2, 2025, he went home to be with the Lord. He is preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Emma Self, and step-mother Alta, his sister Christine Combs, and his first love Lahauna. He leaves behind his wife Rama, brother Eddie (Kelly), his children Randy (Shari), Shannon Ray (Andy), Devlon (Michele), step-daughter, Teresa, special friends Tim and Judy Tyus, nine grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews and many other friends and family that will miss him dearly.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Springfield Methodist Church., 901 Colorado Street, Springfield, Colorado 81073. Please indicate “In Memory of Bill Self” on any contribution.