Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Paul Arvil Shelton passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, June 13, 2020, with his family by his side. He traded in his walking shoes for wings and is now with his wife, his son, and the Lord in Heaven.
He was born in Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 27, 1932. He was the youngest of 10 children and was the last surviving sibling. The family moved when Paul was a young boy and settled in Franklin, N.C. Paul went into the Army as a young man and served during the Korean War. After he was discharged, he met a young woman he would later marry and spend 64 years with. Her name was Norma Ernestine “Teen” Hampton. They were married on April 16, 1955. They welcomed their first child, David, the following year and a daughter, Brenda, a year-and-a-half later.
Paul went to mechanics school and was planning on pursuing that line of work. In 1960, the family moved across country and settled in Hood River, Ore. They added a daughter, Viann, in 1961 and son Tom was born in 1966. Their family was complete with the four children.
Paul took a temporary job at the aluminum plant in The Dalles in 1960, working in the pot lines. He retired from that same plant in 1996 after 36 years of employment. He never became a mechanic but loved to tinker on his own cars. He was one of the best cell operators the aluminum plant ever had.
After retiring, he continued to fish, which was one of his favorite pastimes. He also began taking up daily walks along a beautiful path behind their home. It is an irrigation ditch filled with water spring through fall, but he walked it daily for over 25 years. He would record the miles he walked on the calendar. He filled many calendars, often walking 5-10 miles daily. In recent years, he walked a little slower, and a little less often, but was still walking at least 2 miles a day until a month before his passing. He said it was peaceful and he would talk to God on his walks. Many family members went on his walks with him as well.
Paul was preceded in death by his wife Norma “Teen” in August 2019 and son David in 2015. He is survived by his daughter Brenda and husband Artie Roark of Hood River; daughter Viann Jones of Odell; and son Tom and wife Angel Shelton of Hood River. He is also survived by grandchildren Paul Shelton, Amber Shelton, Rachel Jones, Chad Roark, Jessica Shuler Perez, Christine Sharp, Trenton Shelton, Taunesha Shelton, and 11 great grandchildren.
We would like to express a special thanks to Heart of Hospice for their care and support of our dad and our family in the final days.
Paul, aka Pops, Daddy and Grandpa, will be dearly loved and missed by his family and friends. There will be a gathering to celebrate his life at a later date.
Gardner Funeral Home handled arrangements. To send condolences to the Shelton family, please visit www.gardnerfh.com.
To plant a tree in memory of Paul Shelton as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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