Joleen Woolcott Shelton

April 14, 1930 - July 15, 2021

St Louis, Missouri – Bernadetta Joleen Woolcott Shelton, 91, died peacefully, July 15, 2021. Joleen was born on April 14, 1930 in Pratt, Kansas to Aileen Josephine Robertson and John Edwin Woolcott. She was married to Acton Artelle Shelton Jr for 42 years until his death in 1996. She attended Halstead High School and graduated in 1948. She graduated from Emporia State Teacher’s College in 1952 and was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority. She began her teaching career in Wellington, Kansas and moved to St Louis where she taught for more than 33 years at the Affton School District. After her retirement in 1992 she served for 3 years on the Affton School Board. In 2017, with failing eyesight, she moved into the Kirkwood Mary Culver Home, a one of a kind facility dedicated to providing quality care to those with vision impairment. With characteristic modesty, she was deeply involved in many endeavors that allowed her to live out her Christian faith by showing all what it means to love one's neighbor as one's self. She was a founding member of the St Mark’s Episcopal Church Memorial Garden. Since joining St Marks’ in 1953, she held numerous leadership positions including the Senior Warden. Joleen was a teacher her entire life, first to school children, then her own and finally her grand and great grandchildren. She taught us the importance of family, laughter, compassion for all, and of kindness, courage and strength. Those traits live on in us all. Among her many loves was the St. Louis Cardinals, anything chocolate, theatre, her church, and her family. (Not necessarily in that order.) She was preceded in death by her husband Acton (Bud) Shelton, parents John (Ed) and Aileen (Robertson) Woolcott, her brother Ed Woolcott, and her brother-in-law Ron Hoffman. Survivors include her children, Brad (Joyce) Shelton, Kelly (Rodney) Borowiak and Mitchell (Tracy) Shelton, seven grandchildren, Lisa (Jason) Hall, David (Lindsey) Shelton, Tyler (Michele) Borowiak, Neal (Laura) Borowiak, Kurt (Amy) Borowiak, Mackenzie and Jack Shelton, eight great grandchildren, Adalyn, Sam and Logan Hall, Ella and Henry Shelton and Avery, Nolan and Dean Borowiak, and two sister in-laws Beth Woolcott and Merle "Sue" Hoffman along with many other friends and family. Services will be held at St Mark’s Episcopal Church at 2 PM on August 14, 2021 followed by a Celebration of Life TBD. (Please wear red or Cardinals attire) Due to COVID restrictions social distancing and masks will be required or you can attend on the churches live stream https://www.facebook.com/stmarks.episcopal.stl/live. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 4714 Clifton Ave, St Louis MO 63109 or The Mary Culver Home for Visually Impaired Women at 221 W. Washington Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122. Joleen’s final request is to please be kind to someone. Call a friend or relative you haven’t reached out to recently. Visit a shut-in or nursing home resident. Forgive someone. All acts of kindness are appreciated.