Kathryn Laverne Shelton

Kathryn Lavern (Green) Shelton (1931-2025), was a dedicated educator, loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and devoted follower of Christ. Born to Harold & Leona Green in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Kathryn’s earliest years were anchored in family, faith and education. She attended Penn College in Oskaloosa where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education and later a master’s degree in English from Azusa Pacific University; a trailblazing accomplishment for a Black woman at that time.

Kathryn was an extraordinary educator whose passion for learning touched the lives of generations of students during her remarkable 30-year career in education. Her commitment to education went far beyond the traditional classroom. For three decades, Kathryn served as a beacon of knowledge and inspiration, guiding students through the worlds of literature, language, and learning. As a grade school teacher, she laid the foundational stones of education for countless young learners. Her role as an English teacher allowed her to instill a love of literature and communication, helping students discover the power of voices. As a librarian, she created a sanctuary of knowledge, inspiring curiosity and a lifelong love of reading in generations of students.

Beyond her professional achievements, Kathryn was a woman of profound resilience and love. She and her husband, Master Sergeant Darthel “Spud” Shelton (1932-1986), a veteran who served honorably in the Marines during the Vietnam War, shared a deep and meaningful partnership from 1958 until his passing in 1986. Kathryn and Spud welcomed their son, Quentin Arthel Shelton in 1964 and experienced heart-wrenching loss when he passed away in 1968.

A woman of deep faith and community involvement, Kathryn was a longtime and faithful servant of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Barstow, California. For many years, she served as the church choir director, using her love and talent for music to inspire and uplift her congregation. Her commitment to service extended further as a charter member of the High Desert Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, an organization dedicated to public service and community support. She loved to cook and deeply enjoyed a good, home-cooked, soulful dinner. She was also an avid traveler and reader.

Kathryn is preceded in death by her son, Quentin and her husband, Darthel. She is survived by her beloved daughters Deborah Jones and Joy Karen Shelton, her grandchildren Stacie Frazier, Quentin Savwoir (Michael), Ashlee Savwoir and Courtney Jones, nieces Dana and Renee Green, six great & six great-great grandchildren and a litany of close friends and caregivers that she adorned as family.

Kathryn will be remembered as an trailblazing educator, a loving mother, a faithful servant, and a woman who dedicated her life to nurturing minds, supporting her community, and seeing the world.

May her memory be a blessing to everyone that she encountered.

Please join the Shelton family on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 between 5pm-7pm for a visitation at Giddens Memorial Chapel Family Life Center (2610 N. Martin Luther King Blvd North Las Vegas, NV 89032).

POEM - HER JOURNEY’S JUST BEGUN

Don’t think of her as gone away

her journey’s just begun

life holds so many facets

this earth is only one.

Just think of her as resting

from the sorrows and the tears

in a place of warmth and comfort

where there are no days or years.

Think how she must be wishing

that we could know today

how nothing but our sadness

can really pass away.

And think of her as living

in the hearts of those she touched

for nothing loved is ever lost

and she was loved so much