Shari Shelton's Obituary
Born in Bremerton, WA, Sharon Elizabeth Shelton, affectionately known as Shari, dedicated her life to loving Jesus by serving others - her children and grandchildren, her church family, her students through the years and the people of Rwanda. At the age of 10 her family moved to Ketchikan, Alaska, where she lived until college. It was there that she developed her love of nature and began a relationship with Jesus.
In 1976, after graduating from Seattle Pacific University with her soon to be husband, Alan, she embarked on a journey that would define her life’s work, starting her teaching career in Okinawa, Japan at Okinawa Christian School. Shari’s passion for learning led her to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from Lewis & Clark College in 1984. But her dream of teaching creative writing was put on hold as she and Alan had 5 boys and a girl in a span of 9 years! It helped that the last two were twins. They used to joke that it took having twins to get a girl. But she loved those years of caring for her children and poured her heart into them. She read to them constantly, including reading through the Bible in a year, several times. She kept them on the straight and narrow, announcing “this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” and then proceeding with chores, music lessons, reading books, and trips to the zoo and library, while trying to limit TV watching.
When her children were well into school she began teaching again. Her commitment to her students and community was unwavering, inspiring countless young minds throughout her career. She loved getting the kids to express themselves in creative writing and taught them to say “Namaste” while seeing and honoring the divine spirit that was in each other. Beyond the classroom, Shari was known for her kind, compassionate, supportive, and joyful character. She embraced life through staying active, attending family sporting events, and enjoying the beauty of nature; often stopping, and taking time to take pictures of pretty plants. One of her cherished memories was hiking the Camino de Santiago, fulfilling a lifelong dream of embarking on a spiritual pilgrimage.
She was a talented writer and devoted church member, who combined her talents to write and publish a devotional book. She has a second book just written that was turned into her publisher a few days before her passing.
Her legacy of compassion extends to her support of charitable endeavors, including the founding of her own charity, Gifts Rwanda. In honor of Shari’s memory, contributions can be made at https://www.giftsrwanda.org/.
Shari was a devoted wife to Alan Shelton and a loving mother to her children: Aaron (Kristine) Shelton, Aubrey (Courtney) Shelton, Ben (Laura) Shelton, Austin (Megan Simmons) Shelton, Karina (Alberto) Alvarez, and Kaleb (Jazmin) Shelton-Johnson. She also leaves behind her cherished ten grandchildren. Her family was the center of her world, and she was a loving grandmother who beamed when holding or spending time with them. In a recent journal entry, she wrote how that if she died her greatest loss would be not seeing her precious grandchildren grow up. But she would ask God to let them feel that she was with them. Shari’s impact on the community and the lives she touched will be remembered and cherished. Her spirit of generosity and compassion will continue to inspire all who knew her.
“The Lord your God is with you… He will take great delight in you… He will rejoice over you with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17, Shari's favorite verse
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