Shirley Shelton

Shirley Lee (Petersen) Shelton, the middle child of Lawrence and Vila (Peter) Petersen, was born on 27 September 1947 in Geneva Nebraska.  She departed this life 22 December, 2011 at Denver Hospice, Denver Colorado.   When Shirley was young, her and her sister Carol would spend hours playing house or with their dolls.  A good game of fox and goose was always in order for Shirley, Carol, and their brother Steve on a snowy day.  There were always endless amounts of fun to be had by the young Petersen kids on the farm, walking through the fields, playing in orchards, fishing in the cow tank and going to town to shop with their mother Vila.     Shirley graduated from Geneva High School in 1965 and then went on to attend Lincoln Business School from 1965 to 1966.  Following school, Shirley and Carol got an apartment together and both worked for Bankers Life in Lincoln Nebraska.  Shirley then moved to Colorado and began working at the Fort Collins/Loveland Airport.   Shirley met Gary Shelton, a former Springfield resident who graduated from Springfield High School in 1968. They met while they were both working at the Fort Collins/Loveland Airport.  They were later married on December 12, 1969.     Shirley and Gary welcomed their first son, Garet, into this world on 10 September, 1970.  After three years in Fort Collins, they moved to Commerce City, Colorado in 1973. Shirley was a dedicated mother to Garet, and then began working for Franzen Plumbing where she kept the accounting records straight.   After a year in Commerce, Shirley and Gary bought their first home in Aurora Colorado in 1974.  Shirley and Gary then welcomed their second son, Garon, into to the world on18 October 1975.  For the next several years, Shirley dedicated her time and energy to raising two very active boys and one very busy husband.   When her youngest son began school in 1981 Shirley began working in the lunch room at Sagebrush Elementary School, the same school her son's attended.  After several years ensuring the children at Sagebrush were well nourished, Shirley took a position in the Sagebrush library teaching the young boys and girls the wonders of the modern computer.  Once the boys were both out of middle school she moved on to working in the banking world with Bank Western in Aurora CO.   Starting in 1990, Shirley began the never ending task of raising two boys on her own during the week, while Gary was working for United Airlines in San Francisco and commuting home on the weekends.  Then in 1997, with Garet out on his own and Garon away at college, Shirley move to San Francisco to be with Gary. Just a year after she moved to San Francisco, Gary was reassigned to Denver and they both moved back to Aurora and began the process of building a new home on 40 acres south of Elizabeth CO where she would live out her days.   On July 22, 2007 Shirley's only grandchild and her absolute pride and joy, McKenzie Marie Shelton, was born.  Shirley adored McKenzie and doted on her every chance that she got.  In the short time McKenzie and Nana had together, they forged the strongest of relationships and showered each other with love and kisses every time they were together.   In 2007, Shirley was diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease that ultimately claimed her life on 22 December 2011 at 3:25PM.   During her active life, Shirley enjoyed many activities.  Camping in the Colorado Mountains was a favorite pass time of the Shelton family.  She also enjoyed joining Gary on his hunting expeditions.  Horseback riding was also another pass time the family enjoyed.  Throughout the years, Shirley and Gary made many trips to Springfield for Gary's class reunions where all of his classmates adored Shirley and made her one of the group.   Preceding Shirley in death were her parents Lawrence and Vila Petersen. Left to mourn her passing is her husband Gary of Elizabeth Colorado, sons Garet of Elizabeth Colorado and Garon and wife Kelly of Spokane Washington, and Granddaughter McKenzie.