William Rhea Shelton, Jr.

William Rhea Shelton, Jr., 66, of Chester, VA, went peacefully to be with the Lord on November 11, 2025. He was the son of the late Honorable William Rhea Shelton and Linda Merle Shelton.

Rhea was born and raised in Chester and graduated from Thomas Dale High School in 1977. He graduated from Emory and Henry University in 1983, where he played tennis and lacrosse and met the love of his life.

He worked for the State Corporation Commission for 20 years and was a Principal Consultant at ACA Compliance Group for almost 21 years. Rhea loved playing golf and hunting and enjoyed these activities frequently with his son, brother, and father. He was a regular participant in the Emory and Henry Golf tournaments, which he thoroughly enjoyed playing with his father and his father's college friends.

Rhea's true passion was his family. He unselfishly sacrificed, protected, and served his wife and children, whom he took every opportunity to spend time with and care for. He did this with strength, grace, and humility.

His family, however, took second priority behind his relationship with God. He was a member of Ironbridge Church where he served faithfully for 31 years in various capacities. He and his wife Angela were baptized together in the Greenbrier River at Camp meeting on the Greenbrier in Camp Summers, West Virginia.

Rhea is survived by his wife of 39 years, Angela Clay Shipwash Shelton; his daughter, Margaret Taylor Lariviere (Yannic); his son, William Rhea Shelton III (Samantha Jo); and his daughter, Mackenzie Rhea Nicol (Grayson); his brother, Ward Peyton Shelton (Stephanie); and his sister, Martha Merle Shelton (Scott Saunders); his grandchildren, Ada Merle Lariviere, Wesley James Nicol, and Ava Marie Harrell; and many dear friends.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 11 a.m., at Ironbridge Baptist Church, with interment at Sunset Memorial Park. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Chester Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Above and Beyond Campaign at Ironbridge Church, 10900 Ironbridge Road, Chester, VA 23831 or Emory and Henry University, PO Box 950, Emory, VA 24327.