Adah Louanne Shelton

Louanne was born on Aug. 17, 1932, in San Mateo, California, to Clarence and Gladys Laird. Gladys was an elementary school teacher, and Clarence worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Her only sibling, Richard Laird, a Navy pilot, died in 2005.

Louanne's first love was classical piano. As a young girl, it was her obsession, deeply embedded in her DNA, and she felt it her purpose in life to share the classics of great composers. By the time she was 17, she had competed nationally and demonstrated promise performing the works of Tchaikovsky, Bach, Grieg, Rachmaninoff and Brahms. She had a penchant for absolute perfection and artistry. Adjudicators at competitions recognized her playing as "mature," "thoughtful" and "advanced" for a teen. In addition to her technical ability and musicality, Louanne demonstrated a willingness to work hard–often training for hours before and after school. There was a fire in her belly not to be squelched.

That fire propelled her to enroll at the prestigious University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music after graduating from Portland's Grant High School in 1949. Eastman provided an environment in which she thrived. During holiday breaks, as a freshman and sophomore, Louanne frequently traveled cross country back to Portland by train to visit her parents. She made lifelong friends during college and was asked to join Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI), an international music organization dedicated to music performers and educators. She later became Seattle's chapter president. While in Rochester, she also met her future husband, Charles Warren Shelton, a flutist and pianist.

When Warren asked for Louanne's hand on Christmas Eve in 1954, she wholeheartedly embraced the idea and, rumor has it, ran to her mom in another room and exclaimed, "I got it!" referring to the ring.

After completing their degrees at Eastman, Warren and Louanne left Rochester and headed west to make Seattle their home. Warren was offered a music teaching position with the Seattle Public Schools, where he went on to inspire and cultivate young musicians for 36 years. Together, they would feed a mutual, musical fire that permeated every aspect of raising a family of four. As parenting demands increased, Louanne still managed to carve out time in the mornings for arpeggios and scales. She felt it important to keep her chops sharp for soloing opportunities with community symphonies.

Years later, when Warren's parents died, Warren retired from teaching, and the couple relocated to Denver. There, he and Louanne managed his parent's business and built close ties within their Episcopal church through volunteer work and Louanne's recitals.

Louanne was a devoted Christian and voracious reader who found strength, guidance and encouragement in her faith. She prayed nightly for the safety and health of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She believed in miracles.

In 2002 after Warren's death, Louanne left Denver and, at 69, drove her Chevy Blazer back to the Pacific Northwest–her Steinway in tow close behind. While in Denver, she had pined for the smell of lush evergreens, the beauty of the Pacific's cold saltwater, and the proximity of the majestic Olympic and Cascade Mountains. She cried upon her return. Seattle was home, and where her children were.

She immediately reached out to the local SAI chapter and forged new friendships while reinforcing old acquaintances. She looked for ways to be useful and to serve her community. She found fellowship in the warm congregation at Saint Dunstan's Church, where she was an admired reader during services.

However, with hands no longer nimble due to the onset of arthritis, Louanne reluctantly gave up playing piano and turned toward another form of expression: ballroom dancing.

After being intrigued by this style of dancing at a son's wedding, at 72, Louanne sought the best dance instructors in Seattle, who challenged her stamina and discipline. She was gravely afraid of Alzheimer's disease and felt the dance routines would benefit her memory. Within three years she had marched up each dance category–in her age class–winning top honors at every level.

For the next 10 years, she competed from California to Hawaii with Andre Yermin, her Russian dance instructor. She danced through the pain while recovering from knee and hip surgeries, and was featured in a local KING 5 TV report and in an online article in AARP The Magazine, which highlighted her talent and good health. Andre, nearly 50 years her junior, pushed Louanne to stay focused and purposeful. When she finally hung up her shoes at age 83, Andre, out of gratitude, arranged a trip to Russia, where they toured Moscow and St. Petersburg and even danced a few steps on Red Square.

"After several years, Louanne was no longer a student," Andre said. "She was my [dance] partner."

Through her late 80s, Louanne was proud that she continued to drive to her medical appointments and remained fiercely independent. As Covid swept the country, she remained resolute, initiating her own lockdown and refusing visitors at her Kenmore, Wash., home–including, at times, her family–vowing the virus would not "bring me down." It didn't.

With few challenges left, Louanne committed herself to books, puzzles and her family and was surrounded by love until the end.

Louanne is survived by her sons, David G. Shelton, Steven M. Shelton and Paul C. Shelton; daughter, Ann E. Shelton; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her beloved miniature schnauzer, Gucci.

A memorial celebrating Louanne's life will be held at Saint Dunstan's Church at 1:00 p.m. on April 30th in Shoreline, Wash.

In lieu of flowers, Louanne requested that contributions be made to the following charities: Save the Redwoods League, 111 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94104; Medic One Foundation, 11747 N.E. 1st St., Suite 310, Bellevue, WA 98005; or PAWS, P.O. Box 1037, Lynwood, WA 98046.