Hunter Cole Shelton Obituary, Death – Hunter Cole Shelton was born to Kent and Leslie Shelton on May 30, 2002, in Paducah, Kentucky. His momentous arrival was met with great joy as he was the firstborn son and grandson on both sides of the family. As time passed, the Lord blessed the Sheltons with two more beautiful children, Kinsey Lane and Liam Conner. These three siblings would grow to become the greatest of friends as the years went on.
Hunter adored them both and would often express how proud he was of them, their accomplishments, and their deep love for Christ. As the older brother, he took his responsibility seriously and led the way in modeling what a godly young man should be.
He loved to study the Bible and speak to others about what he was learning. Many an evening, you would find him with his dear family talking late into the night about the things of God and what he was learning through the struggles and blessings of life.
Hunter had a deep love for nature and adored the beauty of God’s creation. He had an adventurous spirit and loved riding bikes and longboards, hiking, rock climbing, fishing, camping, and canoeing. Another one of Hunter’s favorite pastimes was creatively cooking, brewing coffee or tea, and sharing this passion with others. It was rare to see him without a mug of coffee or his favorite teapot on his way to visit family and friends and share a cup of warmth. Hunter was gifted with a multitude of close, dear friends.
Once he stepped outside the door of his home, he was on a mission to find friends wherever he went. Many of those were the neighbors he passed as they worked in their yard or walked alongside him. You’d find him lending a hand and offering an encouraging word to many. Hunter’s greatest desire was to see his neighbors, extended family, and friends come to ask him the reason for the hope that was in him. If asked, he would proclaim that his hope was in Christ alone.
Hunter was surrounded by a community that supported and strengthened him in this hope. His home church, Christ Covenant, became a source of comfort and strength as he grew in his faith day by day. He adored his Pastor, Elders and his church family and was loved by old and young alike. He often served as a greeter where he generously shared the happiest of smiles and warmest of words with each one of his fellow church members. He had a knack for being genuinely interested in the lives of others and would pose thoughtful queries about their week, their jobs, and their family.
This skill for information collecting would serve him well as he graduated from high school with an associate degree in hand and began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and Supply Chain Management at UNCG. He also worked alongside his father at Guerrilla RF as an Information Technology Intern, mastering the art of communication and service. His friendships at work and school helped him understand the needs of others, and he devotedly prayed for the souls of those who were lost and hurting. Hunter gave of himself freely to all and was marked by his deep, deep love for Jesus.
It has been the greatest honor and privilege to have been entrusted with this precious son and the years we were blessed to share with him. As those who trust in Jesus Christ, we long for the day when we will see his smiling face again in glory, worshipping our Lord and Savior together. Until then, we leave you with this encouragement from I Thessalonians 4:13-17, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Surviving are his parents Kent and Leslie Shelton; siblings Kinsey and Liam; grandparents David and Michele Sither, Wayne and Luanne Shelton; great grandparents Charlie and Becky Murphy and Henrietta Carrell; aunts and uncles Michael and Cecilia Sither, Scout Sither, Taylor Trapp, and Ryan and Natalie Conn; Cousins Royce, Jillian, Jordyn, and Jada Conn.
The funeral service for Hunter will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Christ Covenant Church, 811 Jefferson Road in Greensboro. The family will greet friends beginning at 9 a.m. A committal service for family and close friends will follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Forbis & Dick – Stokesdale is serving the Shelton family.
