Jerry Sell

Mia Sell, licensed therapist, registered nurse, and lifelong artist whose fervent support of those around her made her a beloved part of the lives of everyone from family to clients, passed Saturday, July 31st. She was 75.

Born in Pensacola in 1946, Mia spent much of her life by her sister Kami’s side. Being a naval family, they moved frequently, a nomadic tradition she continued through much of her life—from high school in Marathon, Florida, to undergrad at Rollins University, then completing her nursing degree in Hawaii.

She practiced nursing for decades, including through the birth of her children. Lyle was born in Corning, Murray in La Jolla, and Rick in West Chester. It was in West Chester, where she had followed Kami, that she found two inseparable pieces of the rest of her life: Counseling, and her soon-to-be husband, Richard Sell.

Richard and Mia met while she was studying for her master’s at West Chester University, and he was attending Temple. Their relationship, threaded with a deep connection to God, was intense and complete. They would wed in 1982, and several years later, leave for Jacksonville, Florida, where they spent the rest of their lives together.

This last move, another to be close to Kami, was where both sisters laid their roots. Here, Mia’s counseling career blossomed. She worked with many agencies, including operating her own private practice with her husband. She had lived her life building up others, always concerned with how she could support her family and friends. Counseling was a natural fit that she pursued even as she considered retiring. She could not imagine her life without helping others.

She was also an avid artist from a young age. On a childhood trip to Paris with her mother and Kami, she became enamored with the city. She returned to Marathon obsessed and would travel by bus to Key West to act as a painter’s model. After graduating, she returned to Europe to backpack through the country before returning to the States to attend Rollins for painting. Her sculptures were featured in gallery exhibits there and she would continue to instill her love of art in family and friends around her. Recently, she returned to painting after a long break, creating bright, effervescent pieces.

Mia loved traveling, and spent the last 10 years splitting her time working at Breakthroughs Counseling and taking trips around the world. Whether it was somewhere close, like her trips to Amicalola Falls and Key West with her husband, or up the east coast to visit grandchildren in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Tennessee. She vacationed with family in Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Indianapolis, Canada, Portugal, and cruises through the Caribbean.

She was a vibrant, and tumultuous force to her last day—her opinions sharp, her goofy attitude, her spiked hair dyed with a streak of color. Her loss is deep, and she will be desperately missed. She is survived by her husband, Richard, and her sister, Kami; her three sons: Lyle, Murray, and Rick; and her five grandchildren: Dylan, David, June, Olivia, and Stella.