PALMYRA – John “Ronnie” R. Sheldon, 76, passed away Aug. 14, 2010, at Maine Veterans Home, Bangor, from complications from surgery. He was born April 19, 1934, in Manchester, N.H., a son of Howard and Mary Ethel (MacDonald) Sheldon. On Sept. 3, 1955, he married Janice Palmer in Palmyra. Other than a brief tour of service with the U.S. Army in Germany, he lived most of his adult life in Palmyra. He enjoyed working on automobiles, carpentry and sports. John was employed at Irving Tanning, Hartland, retiring in 1997. While enjoying a leisurely retirement, he was a grounds keeper for Palmyra Golf Course and a banquet attendant for Ramada Inn. In 2004 he was forced to retire a second time with the discovery of lung cancer, which he successfully conquered. John is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Janice of Palmyra; his eldest daughter, Melanie and her husband, Daniel Becht, of Broomfield, Colo.; his youngest daughter, Beckie Sheldon of Palmyra; two older siblings, Leon “Buzz” and his wife, Betty Sheldon, of Milbrae, Calif., and Elizabeth Lovering of York; a younger half sibling, Carol Leary of St. Petersburg, Fla.; two brothers-in-law and their wives, Lloyd and Marie Palmer of Columbus, Ohio, and Vern and Mary Palmer of Newport; several nieces and nephews. A military graveside committal service will be held 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20, at Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, new cemetery, with the Rev. William Johnson officiating. A memorial service will be held 11:30 a.m. Friday in the downstairs meeting room at Pittsfield First Baptist Church. Arrangements are by Crosby & Neal, Newport. Those who wish may leave written tributes at www.CrosbyNeal.com.
JOHN R. SHELDON
