Shelby Carlton Crittenden

Shelby Carlton Crittenden, 74, of Longmont, CO passed away in the Longmont United Hospital surrounded by his daughter and family on Tuesday, November 1, 2016. A memorial service will be at 11:00 AM December 28, in the Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, 1820 15th St, Boulder, CO 80302.Carlton was born in Paris, Texas on June 13, 1942, to William Thomas and Fay Lucille Crittenden. He was the second of two sons. He grew up in Detroit, Texas and graduated from Paris High School in 1960. It was not uncommon for him and his brother to be pulled from classes to help their dad find a lost cow, harvest cotton, or some other chore that needed tending to. He played Basketball and Baseball and made the All-State team.Carlton attended the University of Texas, Austin, then joined the Air Force in 1965 and was stationed on Guam during the Vietnam war. He earned the National Defense Service and AF Good Conduct Medals. After serving he returned to UT and graduated with a degree in Business.He made a career in sales, which isn't a surprise, as strangers were always just friends he hadn't met yet. His career started at Ford Motor Corporation as a liaison between headquarters and dealership owners, then worked at several Lincoln Mercury dealerships in Dallas, TX. In 1980, he joined Wesley-Jessen and developed the Southwest Sales Territory for the frames and contact lens division. In 1990 he joined Ambassador Eyewear in sales and worked until 1999.In 1999 he moved to Waco, TX and became a freelance salesman for QTI Promotions and also started a candy machine business where portions of proceeds were donated to the non-profit Caritas. Through QTI, he was excited to make friends and work on projects for: M&M Mars, Inc., City of Waco Water, Waco ISD and Waco Mammoth National Monument. Carlton moved to Longmont, CO in June, 2012 to be closer to his daughter and her family. In May, 2014 he moved into The Bridge at Longmont, an assisted living facility and was blessed to have lived there and make friends with the staff, caregivers and residents.He enjoyed cooking, smoking baby back ribs (which were delicious), traveling, spending time with family and friends and especially watching baseball and football. He loved to give advice and thought each day the sun came up was a great day! If you saw him around town, or sitting at Chilis or Cyclhops, you couldn't miss him as he usually wore his bright orange sweats and hoodie with his Broncos Salute to Service baseball hat.Carlton is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his daughter: Karen Emberley, son-in-law, Chris Emberley and grandchildren Anthony and Katie, all of Longmont, CO; his older brother, William Tom Crittenden, Jr. and nephews Bob and Mike Crittenden, all of Houston, TX. He is also survived by his first wife, Donna Pierce Crittenden of Hoover, AL and second wife, Marilene Hruska of Paris, TX.A celebration of life in Detroit, TX will be held in Summer 2017.