Ethel Mc Crae Shell

Ethel McCrae Shell passed away February 19, 2009. She was born the youngest of three children to William G. and Tena Scherlie McCrae on the family farm in Nelson County, North Dakota on August 22, 1916. They moved when she was small and she grew up on the family farm in Benson County and graduated from York High School in 1934.

After high school she moved with her parents to Oregon. She graduated from Oregon Collage of Education in Monmouth, Oregon and the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Ethel taught school for several years, mostly before her marriage to Kenneth N. Shell on October 11, 1947. She and Kenneth lived in the Sacramento area for 34 years before retiring to Redwood Valley in 1981.

She is survived by her two sons, David E. Shell and his wife Susan of Ukiah and their children: Benjamin and wife Theresa of Sacramento and Sophia Shell of Lynchburg, VA.; and Timothy N. Shell and his children: Nicholas, Anastasia, and Zoe Schell of Shasta Lake City. There are also numerous cousins.

Ethel was active in the Redwood Valley Community Church as a Sunday School teacher and then in Children's Church for 4 and 5 year olds. Later she built up and maintained a supply room and also added on a Children's library. Memorial donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Church.

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, February 23, 2009 at the Russian River Cemetery Chapel.