Although Selby Bullard’s primary income came from fitting prescription eyeglasses for a doctor in New Hampshire, she was becoming a skilled real estate agent with Apple Tree Realty in Bethel.

“She was always smiling and just very happy-go-lucky, and just a fun person to be around,” according to Bonita Sessions, the realty company’s owner.

Bullard, who moved to Maine with her children, 12-year-old Leila and 9-year-old Elliot, to start a new life years after her husband was killed in a car accident, was in a ski accident just after she started working for Apple Tree.

It was a severe break in her leg, Sessions said, and Bullard was having a difficult time recovering. She reinjured the leg recently and was scheduled for surgery this week to have a couple of pins inserted and a bone graft repair done.

The painful condition of her leg required her to use a crutch, Sessions said, and she leaned on her close friend and co-worker Cynthia Beatson for rides because she wasn’t able to drive.

An avid golfer who was frequently seen at the Bethel Inn & Country Club with Beatson, and who skied regularly at Sunday River, Bullard has been described as a “California girl,” all fun and sparkle.

She had worked as a waitress, had owned her own high-end eyeglass shop in Bethel, and started work as a part-time real estate agent in March. According to Bonita, Bullard had been showing real skills in that venture. When she first moved to Maine, she lived with her mother, who owned the Black Bear Bed & Breakfast, and frequently helped out with innkeeping chores.

Bullard’s children have been staying with a family friend since the slayings of their mother and grandmother.

Sessions, who took down a page on her agency’s Web site that displayed biographical information about her agents, said she may put a memorial page instead, to honor Bullard and Beatson.

– Judith Meyer