Everett Cecil Shelton

Everett Cecil Shelton, 88, of Lynchburg, Va., died Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Mr. Shelton was born August 3, 1921, in Wytheville, Va., a son of the late Robert E. and Bertha Murphy Shelton. He was preceded in death by his late wife, Marilyn Ware Shelton; a sister, Willie Shelton Mitchell; three brothers, Charles E. Shelton, Ray R. Shelton and Fred C. Shelton; and a son, Sidney C. (Mike) Shelton. He is survived by his present wife, Lynn Camache Shelton; two daughters, Mrs. Rock (Bettye) Lee, of Currituck, N.C., and Mrs. Robert (Tommie Sue) Slayden, of Nashville, Tenn.; a son, Timothy Shelton and wife, Leslie, of Ashland; a daughter-in-law, Judy Shelton; two stepdaughters, Kathy Johnson Miller and Susan Darnell; 13 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; 4 greatgreat-grandchildren; and a brother, Dillard S. Shelton, of Londonderry, Ohio. He proudly served our country during World War II with the 20th Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater. Prior to the war, he worked in Oak Ridge, Tenn. as a civilian for the Manhattan Project and he was on Tinian as the atomic bomb was loaded on the Enola Gay. He settled in Roanoke after the war. In 1949, he moved to Lynchburg to begin a career as a heavy equipment salesman. In 1955, he cofounded Shelton-Witt Equipment Corp., in Salem, a dealer in heavy road building and mining equipment. He was an executive in the firm until it was sold in 1998. He was a volunteer at Virginia Baptist Hospital, a member of Oakwood Country Club's Round Table, Marshall Lodge #39 A.F. & A.M., was a Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Kazim Shrine and First Presbyterian Church. One of his most cherished achievements in his life was when he was asked by the board of the American Cancer Society to head a committee to organize the first Relay For Life in Central Virginia. At a time when the Relay was about to be abandoned because of lack of interest, he, along with others, put the program together and the event was a success. Over the years, the Relay has grown into one of the largest charitable fund-raisers in this area. A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 4, 2009, at First Presbyterian Church with Pastor John M. Scholer officiating. A celebration and reception will follow at Oakwood Country Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Shriners Children's Hospital, 950 West Faris Road, Greenville, S.C. 29605-4277 or First Presbyterian Church, 1215 V.E.S. Road, Lynchburg, Va. 24503. Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, Va., is assisting the family, 434-237-9424. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tharpfuneralhome.com.