Cover photo for Billy Eugene Shelton's Obituary
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1927 Billy 2010

Billy Eugene Shelton

October 8, 1927 — August 1, 2010

He was born to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rex Shelton October 8, 1927, in Briartown, OK. He had three older sisters, who along with others, called him "Sweet William". He lived up to his nickname. The family lived in a tent in Seminole, OK, which at the time was an "Oil Boom" town. The Depression arrived and caused businesses to shut down, so the family moved back to Briartown. Bill's father found another job with Gulf Oil Company in Osage County, OK. This county is where Bill received his first eight grades of education in a two-room schoolhouse. He was the first in this county to make a perfect score on the county math test, a subject he loved. In 1943, the family moved to Drumright, OK, where he was drafted into the Army in January, 1946. He entered the Army at Camp Chaffee at Ft. Smith, AR. He was sent to Camp Robinson, Little Rock, AR for basic training. Subsequently shipped to Inchon, Korea in 1946, where he was a sergeant in the Military Police until his discharge in May, 1947. Bill's higher education began at Central State college in Edmond, OK. There he met Rene. It was August 31, 1948; they married and by June, 1950, to them was born a beautiful little girl, Vicky. Then the unthinkable happened. The Army recalled Bill. He was sent back to Korea to serve in that war, being a First Lieutenant when he was discharged in 1952. By the end of 1953, he was a father to another beautiful little girl, Shauna. Business was calling. Bill went to work in the Land Department for Texaco in Tulsa. Positions held at this company were: Scouting Drilling Wells, Division Order Desk, Title Analysis, Assistant District Land Man, Division Coordinator, which was promoting drilling deals between the districts and divisions. It ended in January, 1962, when he resigned from Texaco to become an Oil and Gas Lease broker in Wichita, Kansas. His friend, Dean Murrow, showed Bill the ropes (maps) and helped him get started. Dean later retired to his favorite place, Grand Lake, OK. 1963, was the year Bill began Oil Exploration. With his good friend Walter Martz, a geologist, they began working together. Then an engineer, Grant Canady, joined the coffee group to hear Charley Carlock tell of his oil deal promotions of the early booming pools. This group functioned like a company, except the group had no name, no contracts. They were bound only by honor and integrity with a smile and a handshake. In 1971, Bill and his wife, Rene, opened their first health food store. Their final count was seven health food stores (including the one in Lawton), an art gallery, antique store, a dinner club in southwest Missouri and finally owned farms in Kansas. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Rex and Mell (Farrar) Shelton; sisters Raychel Usher and Faye Martin. He is survived by his wife Rene; sister, Lois Giddeon; daughters, Vicky Shelton and Shauna Shelton; one granddaughter, Leah Gossett; and soon-to-be born great-granddaughter. Bill's spirit was entwined with entrepreneurship. He loved diversity and variety and had a deep appreciation of art. He always found beauty in nature and loved to nurture all creatures that came along.
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