Anne Selph MacKay

Anne Taylor Selph MacKay passed away at her home on Lake Weir on September 7, 2025.

Anne was born on March 6, 1937 in Ocala to John Williams Burton “Jub” Selph, Jr. and Frances Massey Selph. She attended Ocala High School and then Agnes Scott College, before graduating from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She married her high school sweetheart Buddy MacKay in 1959 and they worked side by side for 65 years until his death at the beginning of this year. She taught English at Hawthorne Junior/Senior High before becoming a full-time mother and homemaker.

She devoted her life to raising her four boys in a home with deep love and strong values. She is survived by sons Ken (Cindy), John (Kym), Ben (Michele), and Andy; her brother John Selph, III; her ten grandchildren: Shelby, Mac (Maddie), Ted, Emily, Sally, Lilli, Nate, Genevieve, Leander, and Vivienne; and her four great grandchildren, Kodah, Kai, Annie, and Grace. Her adored daughter-in-law Juliette predeceased her, as did her parents, her sister Sally Claybrook, and her brother Bill Selph.

She had three great loves in her life—her family, her church, and her gardening. She and Buddy were among the founding members of Fort King Presbyterian Church in 1964 and made many long-standing and deep friendships through their involvement and leadership. She achieved Master Gardener status and worked tirelessly with the Florida Wildflower Foundation. Anne is credited with the creation of the organization that supports the Wildflower license tag in Florida, although she would be quick to share that credit with former Florida First Lady Adele Graham, former Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, and many others.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, October 18th at 10 a.m. at Fort King Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow and all are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Anne’s honor to the Florida Wildflower Foundation (flawildflowers.org) Interfaith emergency services (iesmarion.org), or to Fort King Presbyterian Church (ftkingchurch.org).

Fort King Presbyterian Church is inviting you to a scheduled zoom meeting: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82542660065?pwd=PaRDkWlsuIY9PmKlezcBiZcO5svESv.1

Meeting ID: 825 4266 0065 Passcode: 0306