Anita S. Shelton, 68, of Shenandoah, Iowa, entered into eternal rest at her home on Thursday, January 22, 2026, surrounded by her family.
Anita Sheryl Shelton was born September 5, 1957, in Fairfax, Missouri, to Wayne Carl and Elsie Louise (Patton) Perry. She was the youngest of 6 children: Ronnie, Randy, Roger, Karen and Robert. She entered into eternal rest on January 22, 2025, surrounded by her family at her home at the age of 68.
As a child, Anita spent her life growing up in southwest Iowa. She graduated from Hamburg High School in 1975. Anita was united in marriage to Herb Shelton on April 22, 2000.
Anita worked many jobs from the time she was 12. Most recently, she worked at the cafeteria at Shenandoah Middle School, where she retired in 2016. She also worked at Eaton’s and Hy-Vee, prior to her employment at the school.
It made her very proud keeping her home clean and organized. Everything had a place, and she knew exactly where that was. Herb on the other hand always had to ask. The thing she was most proud of however was her family. She loved each and every one of them unconditionally and would do whatever she could to make sure everyone got along and was happy.
Anita thought the world of every one of her grandchildren. Christmas Eve was her most favorite time of year because she would get to have all her family home at the same time. Anita loved to Christmas shop and find special things for everyone. It was important to her that not only did everyone get at least a couple gifts but that they also got stocking stuffers. Anita enjoyed going to her family reunions to catch up with everyone and always took her famous cheesecake.
One of Anita’s favorite things to do was to go to garage sales. If there was a sale anywhere around, she would do her best to go and see what the deal of the day was. Usually, she was always looking for treasures for other people and could find just that special something for everyone. Her soft spot was children.
Over the years Anita started accumulating items either from people just donating to her or going through her own stuff, and she began to have small yard sales of her own. She loved doing this because it allowed her to meet people and visit with everyone. As luck would have it, Anita was offered the use of a small building in Shenandoah that Jenny and Lindsey Stephens own. She was able to set up her garage sale inside so that she wouldn’t have to set up and take down all the time. This allowed her to make many new close friends over the few years she did this. Nothing made her happier than to put a smile on someone’s face, especially kids. If she had something they really wanted or needed, it was theirs to take. She really wasn’t in it to make money, she just wanted to be able to help people and create happiness, which she did. If someone needed something, then Anita was the one to tell because she had the ability to track it down for them.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Herb Shelton; son, Ricky Van and significant other Theresa Roz; son, Robby Van and significant other Amber; daughter, Jessica Good and husband David; son Luke Nelson and wife Jacqie; grandchildren, Dakota, Chloe, Zoey, Lelah, Makayla and husband Kyle, Wyatt and finance Emily, Kaylynn, Anyla, Jocelyn, Victoria, Emmanuel, and Daniela; sister, Karen Allumbaugh and husband Darrell; brothers, Ronnie Perry and wife Karen, Roger Perry, and Robert (Bubber) Perry. She was preceded in death by her parent, Elsie and Wayne, and also her brother Randy.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held at the Nishna Valley Funeral Home in Shenandoah, Iowa, on Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. The family will greet relatives and friends with a visitation one hour prior to the service on Saturday morning from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Memorials may be directed to the family to be designated.
