Robert Fitzhugh Shelby III

The Reverend Robert Fitzhugh Shelby, III, age 69, of Hudson, NC, died unexpectedly, at his residence, on April 1, 2012. Born on May 20, 1942, in Macon, Georgia, he was the only child of the late Rev. Dr. Robert F. Shelby, Jr., and Cornelia Caldwell Shelby.

Rev. Shelby, who was retired, was ordained on June 9, 1968, into the ministry by the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served the following Lutheran parishes in North Carolina: St. John’s, Hudson (1969-1995); and Faith, Conover (1995-2006). Rev. Shelby served his Lord and His Church for forty-four years.

Educated in schools in Kannapolis, NC, and in Columbia, SC, he was a 1960 graduate of Dreher High School, Columbia, SC. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Lenoir-Rhyne (College) University, Hickory, NC, in 1964, and his Master of Divinity Degree from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC, in 1968. He served his theological internship at Redeemer Lutheran, Des Moines, Iowa (1966-1967).

In addition to pastoral ministry, Rev. Shelby served on a number of committees in the North Carolina Synod and as the TV Techniques Workshop Director at the 1990 Carolinas Evangelism Conference. In the communities where he served, Pastor Shelby participated in both Lutheran and interdenominational ministerial associations; chaired the Hudson Community Development Association; served six years on the Foothills Performing Arts Board of Directors; and the South Caldwell High School Advisory Committee, the Student Assistance Program Board, and as clock operator for SCHS home football games. He also served on the Caldwell County Schools Advisory Committee, and he and his wife served several years on the Lenoir-Rhyne Parents’ Association Executive Committee.

An interest in drama and television began at Dreher High School where he was active in drama and was a student director for South Carolina ETV, which originated at Dreher. Active in the Lenoir-Rhyne Playmakers, he received the 1964 Drama Award and was a member of Alpha Psi Omega Honorary Dramatics Fraternity. He served four years as a student assistant in L-R’s P.E. Monroe Auditorium, as co-chair of the first Program Board of the Cromer Student Center, and was a secretary of Theta Chi Fraternity.

His dramatic and television background gave rise to adapting, writing, and directing Christmas and Lenten dramas especially for the youth in the parishes he served. He enjoyed sharing the Gospel message of Lent and Christmas with dramatic portrayals of Biblical characters and was invited to share these portrayals at an area youth correctional facility and at civic organizations.

A deep interest in the Lutheran Liturgy and Christian symbolism led him to design and make banners to be used as worship aids during the seasons and special days of the church year cycle. Desiring that youth have a strong participation in the worship services of the church, Pastor Shelby taught them to serve in responsible lay roles through assisting with the liturgy.

In his spare time, he loved reading and oil painting. He was a skilled model builder of planes, ships, and HO-gauge trains for which he and his son had built a small, simple layout. And he truly enjoyed attending high-school and college sporting events.

He and his wife, Virginia (Ginger) Black Shelby, who survives him, were married on June 12, 1965. Other survivors include son, Robert F. (Robby) Shelby, IV, and wife, Lynette S. Shelby, of Granite Falls; daughter, Virginia (Gini) S. Hodges and husband, W. Mack, Jr., of Mount Airy; grandson, C. Taylor Hodges; granddaughter, MacKenzie E. Hodges; aunts and uncles: Martha C. Stevens, of Raleigh; Gertrude S. Allran and Walter L. and Janice Dulin, of Charlotte; Dorothy S. Johnson, of Lincolnton and Hickory; and numerous cousins.

A memorial service celebrating Rev. Shelby’s life will be held on Saturday, April 7, at 2:00 p.m., at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hudson, with inurnment afterwards at the Columbarium in the church cemetery. Officiants will be The Rev. Marcus Ollis, pastor of St. John’s; and The Reverend Phil Tonnesen, assistant to the Bishop of the NC Synod. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall immediately after the inurnment.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 352 Central Street, Hudson, NC, 28638; or to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, 439 Seventh Street Place, SW, Conover, NC, 28613; or to Lenoir-Rhyne University (“The Fund for L-R”), PO Box 7000, Hickory, NC, 28603.

Pendry’s Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to be serving the family of Rev. Shelby.