SOUTH POINT — Lt. Col. Kenneth E. Shelton, 78, of South Point, passed away peacefully with his cherished wife and family by his side Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, at Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.  
He was born Feb. 8, 1931 in Ashland, Ky., the first of five sons born to Vernon and Fannie Roberts Shelton.  After graduating from Ironton High School in 1949, the young Ken Shelton enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a private and after 28 years of service, retired in 1979 as a lieutenant colonel. In 1966, he was the only USMC applicant in the country to be selected for immediate promotion from the enlisted ranks to the rank of 2nd lieutenant.  Lt.Col. Shelton was also selected to serve on the judge advocate general’s staff where he assisted in military tribunals as counsel. His primary interest while in the USMC was communications and the new world of computers.  While serving at Marine Corps Air Base, Cherry Point, N.C. he was involved in helping to develop better communications systems. Lt.Col. Shelton served his country in Korea, Viet Nam and Morocco as well as other posts around the world and the United States.
After he and his wife retired to South Point, they started a small business and in 1986, Lt.Col. Shelton was asked to serve as the director of the procurement outreach center for the Lawrence County Economic Development Committee.
Ken Shelton married the love of his life, Nancy Bailey, Oct. 6, 1950.  For 58 years and 10 months they loved each other, had a family and happily built a life together through thick and thin.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three brothers:  John, Ray, and James Shelton.
Lt.Col. Shelton is survived by his wife, Nancy; their children, Libby (Tom) Horner of Minneapolis, Minn., Mark (Melanie) Shelton, of Auburn, Calif., and Penny (Larry) Pulley of Williamsburg, Va.  Grandpa loved his grandchildren,  Christopher, Kevin and Amanda Horner; Jessica and Breanne Shelton; and Rachel and Evan Pulley. Ken is also survived by his youngest brother, Larry (Bobbi) Shelton of Coal Grove and sisters-in-law, Betty (Ray) Shelton of Ironton, Donna (Sam) Meade of Catlettsburg, Ky., Irma Bailey Spriggs of Springfield, and many nieces and nephews.  
Funeral services will be 3 p.m. Wednesday at Schneider-Griffin Funeral Home, Chesapeake, with Dr. Wayne Young officiating. The family would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to DeeDee Aguilar for the exceptional care she showed Ken during his illness. Friends may call an hour before the funeral at the funeral home.  Condolences may be expressed at www.schneidergriffin.com.