Residents of Port Townsend for more than 40 years, Fran Shelton passed away June 13, 2021, and Norm Shelton passed away at home on December 13, 2023.
Norm Shelton (called Bud or Buddy in his youth) was born in Santa Monica, and grew up during the Depression in Southern California and in Arizona on a homestead and in the small town of Vicksburg, with his parents Eli and Eva Shelton, brother Bob, and sister Shelly. He attended a one-room schoolhouse in the desert and then Montebello High School in LA, where he was captain of the tennis team.
Norm enlisted in the Marines in 1943 during WWII, and was stationed in the Marshal, Hawaiian, Marianas, and Ryukyu Islands. He was with the first wave of Marines to hit the beach at Okinawa, and also saw action on Kwajalein Atoll. He worked as an anti-aircraft gunner stationed at the airport on Okinawa, and also volunteered as a machine gunner for 28 bombing runs due to a crew shortage.
Norm was a professional level athlete. Baseball Hall of Famer Gil Hodges was in Norm’s anti-aircraft battalion during the war, and Norm played third base with Gil on a team during and after the war years. Norm later received a contract offer from the Brooklyn Dodgers, but was unable to pursue it. Norm was also a practice partner for tennis great Pancho Gonzales.
Prior to and following the war Norm attended college, and worked at a bank and in early television installation. He attained degrees in electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering, and worked as a manufacturing engineer in the aerospace industry at ITT Gilfillan for 30 years. Norm was known for his intelligence, strength, solid character, kindness, and bantering sense of humor.
Fran Shelton (known as Honey in her youth) was born and raised during the Depression on the Karnicnik family farm near Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, with her parents Slovenian emigrants Mary and Albin, and siblings Mitzi, Helen, and Albin (Bucky or Red). The family later sold the farm and moved to Los Angeles.
Fran’s interests and activities included working as an administrative assistant, earning a college degree, running two family businesses, writing a novel, caring for elder family members, gardening, cooking and canning, sewing and quilting, reading, and charitable endeavors. Fran loved visits with family and friends, impromptu parties, and traveling. Fran embraced life, laughed often, and believed in helping and sharing with others.
Honey and Buddy met in Los Angeles, and married in 1949. They raised three daughters, Georgia, Barbara, and Becky in Southern California, and had homes built each time they moved (Los Angeles, Orange County, and Simi Valley). Norm and Fran traveled throughout the U.S, Europe, Mexico, Canada, and New Zealand. They enjoyed dancing, bowling, camping, card games, and visiting with their extended family and friends.
After retirement, Norm and Fran relocated to Port Townsend, Washington, where they built their final home, a cottage in the beautiful forested neighborhood of Kala Point. Norm was a volunteer fire fighter and Fran started an annual dinner for the firefighters. They volunteered at the local Food Bank, and Norm helped engineer neighborhood improvements. Norm and Fran lived a full life in retirement, visiting with neighbors, friends, and family, including grandchildren Bruce and Genna, square dancing, bridge club, quilting and Red Hatters clubs, music, fishing, and vacation trips. They were married for 73 years.
