George Shelton
George Woodrow Shelton, known all his life as Woody, passed away at Monument Hospice House on January 8, 2022. He was born January 16, 1923 in Iberia, Miller County, Missouri. His parents were John Van Buren Shelton and Laura Jane (Woody) Shelton. Woody was the youngest of 9 children. As a boy he lived through the depression while his parents struggled as sharecroppers. His loft bedroom allowed him to see the stars at night through the roof. When his mother wanted to cover the walls with paper to help insulate them Woody suggested the use of funny papers which his mom approved. He always said these funny papers gave him a sense of humor, fueled his interest in drawing which became a love of oil painting, and stimulated all the creative interests he had in life. His father passed away when Woody was just 9 years old. Soon he found odd jobs to help with household expenses. He was a news runner at the St. Louis Star-Times, worked at the corner drug store, and became a roast cook at age 18 at Curtis- Wright Manufacturing. When the struggles of the depression made life too difficult to stay with his mother, Woody lived with several older siblings until joining the Navy in support of WW II. During a shore visit in Los Angeles, he met a beautiful, fiery red-headed South Dakotan, Twila Galbraith, on a blind date. Twila was one of the young women drawn to California in support of the war effort building airplanes. Woody served on two CVE small aircraft carriers, the USS Kadashan Bay and the USS Nehenta Bay during which he was part of the largest naval battle at Leyte Gulf. His ship survived a Japanese kamikaze attack suffering a 17-foot hole in the ship's hull. His daily diary kept while on board ship provides an intriguing look into the daily life of a Navy seaman. One story of his Navy life was better understood after the movie Undaunted came out in 2014. The movie gave a perspective Woody did not understand in 1945. While cruising near the Japanese coast at the end of the war, pilots from his ship's planes saw the POW's depicted in the movie needing help near Tokyo. So, Woody and his fellow seamen rigged up the ship's planes to be able to drop seabags they'd loaded with clothes and rations. His diary and the movie corroborate that the POWs on shore received assistance from Woody's ship and the throng of others plying the Japanese coast as the war was ending. Through letters during his tour in the Pacific, he and Twila got engaged and then married on December 2, 1945. After Woody was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946, Woody and Twila settled in her hometown of Wall. Forming a partnership with Twila's father, John Galbraith, Woody became the licensed mortician in the Galbraith Funeral Home and the operating partner of the General Store. The General Store became Shelton's V Store, and the funeral home was sold. While active in the Wall community Woody was a strong supporter of the Chamber of Commerce. He was a founding member of the local golf course, helped raise funds and build the community swimming pool, and was active in the Masonic Lodge. As a member of the American Legion, he received his 75th year membership pin in the Carrol McDonald Legion post earlier 2021. Woody was an avid woodworker who built three pickup campers and two good sized power boats. Those campers and boats took him to Canada dozens of times for fishing and hunting trips. One major trip to Alaska was taken with friends Howard and Eunice Johnson in campers Howard and Woody built together. He was an avid golfer with a hole-in-one to his credit. He continued playing golf with friends until age 95 and was still woodworking in his shop at home until a few months before his passing. He loved painting outdoor scenes of mountains, cabins, lakes, and streams. For many years after retirement, he drove kids to the Shriner's Hospital in Minnesota from the Black Hills. He loved people in general, could visit with anyone, and always enjoyed a good joke. Even in his later years, when asked by a doctor "Can you tell me when you were born?", with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face he'd impishly answer "Yes". Woody and Twila had three children: Shirley, who died during birth, Mary, and Wes. Twila passed away unexpectedly in 1980 at age 56. After Twila's passing Woody married Donna Hemness Hauk. They lived in Wall, Custer and Rapid City spending many winters in Texas. Donna passed away in 2014. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Laura, siblings Archie, Orville, Alta, Everett, Irene, Vic, Marie, an unnamed infant brother, who died at birth, and both his wives Twila and Donna. He is survived by Wes and Mary, and Donna's children Karen, Darla, and Phillip. They, many grandchildren, and a growing throng of great-grandchildren, will miss being with this smiling, joking, easy going, happy man. Memorial service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, January 13, 2022 at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church with visitation beginning at 10. Inurnment will follow at 1:30 at Black Hills National Cemetery. Arrangements are with Kirk Funeral Home.
