Ethan Shelton

BIOGRAPHY

Ethan Shelton was born in Pickens County, Alabama, USA, on 10 July 1903. His parents were Dr. Julius Caesar Shelton (1853–1939) and Ethel Brotherton Shelton (1865–1907). At the age of 16, he moved to Detroit and later to Chicago to study optometry. After meeting Rose Marie Zimmermann (1908–1995), he left school to pursue barbering so he could earn enough to marry. They were married on 18 January 1926, and eventually had seven children. Soon after, they returned to Alabama, where he farmed and opened a barbershop. They lived there for 18 years before moving back to Chicago due to the illness of their son Kenneth. While in Chicago, they operated a neighborhood grocery store.

In 1947, they moved to Berrien Center, where he continued cutting hair during the day while developing a fruit farm on weekends. He eventually owned and operated Shelton’s Barber Shop at 216 North Front Street in Niles. His produce business grew from a roadside stand to Shelton’s Farm Market on Eleventh Street at Bell Road, established in 1959.

Ethan was a member of the Berrien Center Bible Church. He enjoyed golf, ballroom dancing, and bluegrass music—pursuits he continued with notable proficiency even in his 110th year. A talented multi-instrumentalist, he regularly joined other musicians for monthly sessions in Wakarusa, Indiana. He also tended a garden, often beginning work before sunrise to avoid the midday heat.

He was preceded in death by five children: Ronald Ethan (2013), Martha Ann Webber (2012), D. Jean Marston (2011), Kenneth (1983), and infant Norman (1930).

Ethan Shelton passed away in Saint Joseph, Michigan, on 19 March 2014, at the age of 110 years, 252 days. He was survived by two sons, James and Joseph, 26 grandchildren and more than 120 great, great-great, and great-great-great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

His age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group on 1 February 2014. The validation was later recognized by LongeviQuest.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Oldest American-born man in USA dies at 110” – USA Today, 21 March 2014

* Ethan Brotherton Shelton – Find A Grave

GALLERY

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