Shelton Holmes Cartwright, Sr.

SHELTON H. CARTWRIGHT, SR.

May 29, 1927 – September 14, 2018

BUNN, NC -  Shelton Holmes Cartwright, Sr., of Boydton, VA died Friday morning.  Mr. Cartwright was the son of the late Henry Martin and Berlie Mae Byrd Cartwright of Jarvisburg, NC.  He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 59 years, Gaynelle Tharrington Cartwright; sister, Ellen C. Snow; brother, Henry Cartwright and sister, Minnie Lee C. Toler.

Funeral Services will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel of Strickland Funeral Home.  Burial will follow in Bunn Memorial Gardens.

Mr. Cartwright is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Joanne and Donald King of Martinsburg, WV; Karen and Robert Smith of Harrisburg, NC; sons and daughters-in-law, Shelton, Jr. and Janice Cartwright of Charlottesville, VA; Randy and Robin Cartwright of Kearneysville, WV; 14 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren.

Having become deaf at the age of three, Shelton was deeply connected to the deaf community.  He is a graduate of North Carolina School for the Deaf where he met his wife, Gaynelle.  Throughout his life, he was active in the local deaf communities wherever he lived and has held leadership positions in the Virginia Association of the Deaf and the North Carolina Association of the Deaf. 

Professionally, Shelton began his career as a Linotype Operator, setting type for the printings of the Rocky Mount Telegram and Virginia-Pilot newspaper.  In 1965, Shelton moved his family to Vienna, VA and worked as a Linotype Operator for the Government Printing Office (GPO) in Washington, DC.  Shelton spent most of his career working on the publication of the Congressional Records and spent almost thirty years with the GPO before retiring in 1992.  Printing technologies modernized in the span of Shelton’s career and he spent his final years at the GPO as a proof reader.

Shelton and Gaynelle built their dream retirement home in Lake Gaston, VA and were pleased to regularly host family gatherings with their four children and growing families.  Shelton particularly loved spending time in a boat on the water, especially with his children and grandchildren.  He also rarely met an animal he did not like and was a doting owner to several dogs throughout his life.  

The family will receive friends 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Strickland Funeral Home & Crematory, 103 W. Franklin St. Louisburg.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the National Association of the Deaf at www.nad.org. 

Arrangements are by Strickland Funeral Home & Crematory, Louisburg, www.stricklandfuneralhome.net

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