Arthur Ray Shelton's Obituary
On September 25, 1947, the late James and Mary Jane Jordan Shelton welcomed a baby boy named Arthur Ray, whom his father and others in the community affectionately called Top. At an early age, Mr. Shelton was baptized at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Sumrall, Mississippi. Arthur started his education at the Sumrall Colored Training School. After some time, the county built John Jefferson School in Purvis, MS., for Black students, causing Arthur to travel twenty-six miles one way to school daily. Sometimes, he was the backup bus driver and graduated in 1966 from John Jefferson High School. Arthur matriculated at Tougaloo College, where Addie Woods was introduced to Arthur by Joyce, Addie's roommate, and Arthur's sister. A courtship developed, and they were married on October 13, 1970, in Jackson, Mississippi, in the home of the late Presiding Elder Jacob Hilton, Sr. of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, having as witnesses the late Alberta Hilton, wife, along with Jacob Hilton, Jr. and other younger Hilton's children. Three children were born to the union of Arthur and Addie, Sheletha (Shel) Elizabeth Shelton-Robinson (John, deceased), Washington, DC., James (Jamey) David Shelton (Andrea), Fort Lewis, WA., and Arthur (Art) Ray Shelton, II, Memphis, TN.
In 1971, Arthur was one of two Black men inducted into the Mississippi National Guard in the Military Police Unit in Canton, MS. Later, at Fort Jackson, Columbia, SC, Arthur received his basic training and the Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) training at Fort Gordan, GA as a Military Policeman. After a job transfer to Birmingham, Alabama, he joined a Personnel Unit. The last job transfer was to Memphis, TN, in the late seventies. Continuing his military service, Arthur joined the 3/115 Artillery Service Unit, which later became a transportation unit. After 911, Arthur was deployed to Virginia to protect the Army bases on the Southern Virginia Coast and later retired from military duty as a Food Service Chief after 36 years of service.
In late 1980, after hours of discussion, Arthur and Addie decided to find a Methodist church in Memphis. Mrs. Shelton searched and found Taylor Chapel CME Church in Germantown, TN., a quaint little church with very friendly, mature, and welcoming Christians. One of the older men, the late Mr. Luke Hill (Big Boy), gave Mrs. Shelton a business card requesting her to give the business card to Arthur. Mr. Hill wanted to invite Arthur to the Church personally, and later the Shelton family became members of Taylor Chapel. With encouragement from the older men at Taylor, Mr. Shelton became an active member in the Ministries of the Taylor Chapel. At Taylor Chapel, he was a Sunday School Superintendent and teacher, President of the Steward Board, a Trustee, the Church Bus Driver, the Lay Council Leader, a member of the Choir, the Board of Christian Education, and an Exhorter seeking to become an ordained Minister in the CME Church. In Virginia, Arthur became an associate member of St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) where he worked in the Finance Room as an observer. Troopers would often ride with him to Church, and they would tease Arthur because they were unfamiliar with CME Church's worship structure and style. Arthur was also active in the former South Memphis District, now Northeast District, and the West Tennessee Region Annual Conference levels and served as the District and Annual Conference Lay Leader and was the present Annual Conference Lay Leader. He was a delegate to several General Conferences and the General Connectional Board. He served as a delegate to four Quadrennial and General Conferences. Arthur's involvement in ministries beyond the local Church started under the leadership of the late Dr. Cheryl Golden, who encouraged him to attend his first Lay Institute at the Galt House in Louisville, KY. Later, she encouraged him to attend the Annual Convocation, now Summit. He loved traveling, meeting people, and learning new things. He never met a stranger.
He was the National Sales Manager for J. Strickland & Co., Memphis, TN, and Mirage, Oxnard, California. Arthur was semi-retired, working in his sales & marketing company and part-time for United Airlines. He was active in the community and was the treasurer for Zion Community Cemetery Project and an election official for Germantown from 2004 to 2011.
Arthur departed this life on Thursday, November 24, 2022, at Germantown Hospital, Germantown, TN, and he was preceded in life by his parents, James and Mary Jane Shelton, and a granddaughter, Alisa Jones, a life gone too soon.
He leaves the following individuals to mourn: Wife, Addie Woods Shelton; children, Shel, Jamey (Andrea), and Art, II; grandchildren, Terrell Shelton, Dominic Angel Shelton, Marley Lee Shelton, Alexis Jada Shelton, Isabell Melissa Shelton, and Mary Jane (MJ) Nicole Shelton; siblings Mary Shelton Bellard (Gerald, deceased), Ypsilanti, MI; Joyce Shelton, Ypsilanti, MI; Sherry Butler Johnson, Harrisburg. PA; and Dr. Joy Elaine Butler Jackson Hooper (Hank), Jackson, Mississippi; and was a brother in Love to James Ford Lindsey, Jr., London, England; Samuel Stevenson, Los Angeles, CA; David Clarence Woods (Patsy), Spring, TX; Inez Woods, Atlanta, GA; Howard Neil Woods, Washington, DC; Dan Ford Woods, Seattle, Washington, John Robert Woods, Atlanta, GA, and Katie Woods Henderson (Kenny), Atlanta, GA. A host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family, and friends will also cherish the love and memory of Mr. Arthur Ray Shelton.
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