Barbara Suezette Stroud Shelton

Barbara Suezette Stroud Shelton

Barbara Suezette Stroud Shelton, 76, a legend and icon to all who knew her, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2019 surrounded by love. In doing so, she was reunited with the love of her life, Murray Carl Shelton, Sr., her faithful husband of nearly 50 years.

Barbara personified beauty, grace, and glamour her whole life. She was sassy, whip smart, and had a memory like a steel trap (seriously, the woman never forgot anything). She was also absolutely hilarious (despite never actually trying to be funny), and she was perhaps at her best when her silliness caused her to dissolve into fits of giggles and laughter. There are far too many funny Barbara stories to recount here, but a favorite is her insistence that if the Disney Cruise the family had booked for a week lacked either alcohol or a casino, she would be jumping overboard and swimming back to shore (and she was only maybe 10% kidding). She adored clothing, makeup, perfume, music, chocolate covered cherries, and a good vodka tonic. She was a phenomenal cook, and she enjoyed doting on her loved ones by whipping up specially requested meals. Her butter beans, in particular, were nearly as legendary as she was.

Barbara was born in Memphis, Tennessee on April 14, 1943 to B.L. Stroud and Clara Stroud. She was a graduate of Memphis Technical High School. She went on to live in Shreveport and Slidell, Louisiana, before coming to settle in Roswell, Georgia, where she and Murray would make a life and spend many happy decades.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, by her beloved Murray, and by her three brothers, Larry, Mike, and John Stroud. Barbara is survived by her four children, Kelly Sanderson (Vickie Weaver), Murray Shelton (Anna), Michael Shelton (Amanda), and Jeremy Shelton (Lena), and her eleven grandchildren (to whom she was "Mother Barbara"), Ashley Sanderson, Loren Sanderson, David Hammond, Joshua Hammond, Hannah Kieler (C.J.), Taylor Shelton, Reagan Shelton, Molly Shelton, Zachary Shelton, Brooke Shelton, and Baby Boy Shelton, who is due to arrive July 2020.

The family will receive visitors on January 11, 2020 from 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 PM at Roswell Funeral Home in Roswell, GA. A Celebration of Life Service will immediately follow at 2:00 PM, and the internment shall be at 3:00 PM at Greenlawn Cemetery in Roswell. In honor of Barbara's memory, the family asks that you enjoy a toast (preferably with vodka) and tell someone how lovely she was (which she never, ever tired of hearing). In lieu of flowers, tributes can be made to Talbot's, QVC, or the Home Shopping Network, all of which were grateful beneficiaries of Barbara's love of shopping for many years.

There will never be another like Barbara Shelton. Her family misses her very much and is fortunate to have had her.