John B. Shelton

John B. Shelton, Jr., 82, of Anna, died at 5:43am Tuesday, November 8, 2016, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was born April 9, 1934, in Trigg County, Kentucky, the son of John Barnette and Clyde Elizabeth (Joiner) Shelton, Sr. He married Margaret Hillman on August 22, 1954. John graduated from Trigg County High School in Cadiz, Kentucky, in 1952. He attended Freed-Hardeman College, earned his Bachelor of Arts at David Lipscomb College, and Masters in Communications from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He became a minister of the Church of Christ at the age of 18, ministering to the Green’s Chapel Church of Christ and the Horse Cave Church of Christ, both in Hart County, Kentucky, and to the Cadiz Church of Christ in Trigg County, Kentucky. He and his family moved to Anna, Illinois, in 1965 where he ministered to the Anna Church of Christ for 30 years and to the Wetaug Church of Christ for 5 years, retiring in 2000 from full time ministry. He continued to be an active member of the Anna Church of Christ after his retirement as both elder and church treasurer. John taught school the entire time he was in the ministry. He taught at Hart County Schools and Trigg County Schools in Kentucky, and then as a graduate assistant at SIU-C. He became the first faculty member hired at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Illinois, in 1969. He served as a Speech and English professor and Chairman of the Communications Department for 25 years, retiring in 1994. John is survived by his wife, Margaret Shelton of Anna; four children, Mark (Diana) Shelton of Anna, Deborah Yates of Vienna, Illinois, Rachel (Bruce) Paschall of Florissant, Missouri, Jeffrey Shelton of Normal, Illinois; six grandchildren, Stacy Shelton Crunk, Alyssa Shelton, Benjamin Yates, Jordan Shelton, Jillian Shelton, and Jackson Shelton; five great-grandchildren, Logan Crunk, Ian Crunk, Cayden Sawyer, Coby Sawyer, and McCormick Yates; several nieces, nephews, and other relatives. He is preceded in death by his parents; one granddaughter, Jacklyn Bauer; three sisters, Eunice Howell, Nancy Wilson, and Edna Cathey; two brothers, Paul and Dennis. Visitation will be at Crain Funeral Home in Anna-Jonesboro on Friday, November 11, 2016, 4:00-8:00pm, and on Saturday, November 12, 2016, 1:00-2:00pm at the Anna Church of Christ, located at 104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois. Funeral service will be at 2:00pm Saturday, November 12, 2016, at the Anna Church of Christ with R.W. McAlister and Bryan McAlister officiating. Interment will follow in Anna City Cemetery. Memorials may be made to New Pathways for Children, 3311 Shaw Road, P.O. Box 10, Melber, Kentucky 42069, a charity which John helped found and on whose board he served for many years. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home and the church. (web site: npfc.net) To view the full obituary or to leave an online condolence for the family visit www.crainsonline.com

John B. Shelton

April 9, 1934 - November 8, 2016