Dec. 22, 1922 – Aug. 30, 2021

On Monday, Aug. 30, Baker Joseph Shelton passed away in La Crescenta, California. “Joe” was a WWII veteran who served in the Pacific theater as a Corpsman in the US Navy.  

Joe, or Baker as he was known to his family back east, was born in Buffalo Lithia Springs, Virginia on Dec. 22,1922, the fifth of six children, born to Henry and Zelma (Clement) Shelton. The family soon moved to, and Joe grew up in, High Point, North Carolina. He had many adventures during his 98 years of life. At 14 he hitchhiked from North Carolina to Florida and met “a lot of nice people.”  He began his retail “career” selling magazines on the main street in High Point. When he was 20, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and was assigned to the Hospital Corps in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific. He saw some terrible injuries, and from his experience there grew to detest war and violence for the rest of his life.  

After WWII he stayed in Northern California where he met the love of his life, Martha “Dollie” Davis. They were married in 1947. He began a career with JC Penney in 1953 and retired from Penney’s in 1987.  In 1958 the family with two young sons moved to Southern California where the third son was born. In 1969 the family moved to Tempe, Arizona when Joe was transferred by JCP.  Joe and Dollie loved to travel, and were able to go to  Brazil, Israel, Germany, Switzerland and Alaska. They also purchased a small home in Pinetop AZ where they spent many a happy summer at 7,000 feet, away from the heat of the Valley. After Dollie passed away in 2013, he remained in his home for almost 3 more years before moving to Friendship Village in Tempe. He thrived there, wrote several skits and plays, played wicked poker, and traveled to nearby casinos to battle the ‘one armed bandits’ (slot machines).  

Joe was Papa Joe to his grandkids and OG [Original Grandpa] to his great grandchildren. He was a museum curator, pretty good golfer, sly poker player, poet and storyteller. He loved spending time with his family. In early 2020 he diagnosed with congestive heart failure and required hospitalization and large amounts of oxygen over several days. The doctors told the family he was unlikely to survive, but he did, and was playing his harmonica shortly after his oxygen mask was taken off. 

He was in an Arizona nursing home during most of the COVID lockdown, and tested positive for COVID in late summer, recovered and when it was possible, he moved to La Crescenta, California to Twelve Oaks Assisted Living facility. He also thrived in Montrose and wrote two plays, which he performed with his new Twelve Oaks friends, wrote more poetry and worked on his art.  

 Until his last few days, Joe was continuing his creative ventures, loved talking about current events with his family, and always had his harmonica close by just in case there was a need for another song.  

He was the patriarch of his loving family. Prior to his death he shared “words of wisdom” with each individual family member. He shared a lifetime of observation, of life experiences and of love. He will be missed but as a family we are so grateful to have had him in our lives for as long as we did. He is survived by his three sons and their wives, Steven and Sarah, Kent and Nancy, and Mark and Mary. He leaves behind seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren (with another on the way). He was preceded in death by his parents and his five siblings, Hagerman, David, Zelma, Annie Laurie, and Esma.  

Joe was proud member of the American Legion Post 288. Services will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona on Sunday, Sept.12 at 10 a.m. at the Green Acres Cometary. In lieu of flowers please send a donation in his name to the American Legion Post 288, mail your donation to 4011 La Crescenta Ave., Glendale, California 91214  and/or  monarchwatch.org and/or pappaskidssf.org

Arrangements made by Crippen Mortuary (818) 249-6131