Bertha Virginia Shackelford's Obituary
Bertha Virginia Shackelford, 87, died Friday night, April 22, 2011 at her home in Stafford County after a long illness.
She was the widow of John R. Shackelford. They were married November 25, 1939, in Stafford and enjoyed over 60 years of married life together before his death in 2000.
A Stafford native, she was the last surviving child of the late George Madison Smith and Elizabeth Mae Masters Smith. She was preceded in death by her four sisters, Nellie Jones, Etta Wine, Ruth Snellings and Cora Embrey, and her four brothers Lloyd, Randolph, Edwin and Marquard Smith. Two other important ladies in her life were her grandmother, Mrs. Georgeanna English, who lived with her family and helped raise her, and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Mattie Shackelford, who was like a mother to her.
She had been a member of Ramoth Baptist Church since 1935, and served her Lord for many years by teaching children in Sunday school and singing in the choir.
She had retired from the Fredericksburg Kmart after 25 years of service.
Mrs. Shackelford is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Gail and Donnie Shelton of Stafford, who were also her caregivers. She is also survived by her granddaughter and her husband, Martha and Christopher Richardson of Buena Vista, her grandson and his wife, Donnie and Jennifer Shelton of Spotsylvania, and three great-grandchildren, Hailee and Dillon Shelton of Spotsylvania and Abie Richardson of Buena Vista, and by her son-in-law’s mother, Dorothy Shelton of Stafford.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 2:00 pm at Ramoth Baptist Church, 478 Ramoth Church Rd., Stafford, with the Rev. Paige Bowman and Rev. Brent Vickery officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial to follow in the church cemetery.
Please make memorial contributions to the Ramoth Baptist Church Cemetery Memorial Fund, c/o Mrs. Shirley Thompson, 1792 Courthouse Road, Stafford, VA 22554.
Online condolences may be expressed to Bertha’s family at foundandsons.com.
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