Joelene Tara Shelton

“

She found more joy in doing something special for someone else than in receiving anything herself.

  Joelene Tara Shelton, 40, passed away on Monday, October 19, 2026. Born July 27, 1986, in Escondido, California, Joelene was the daughter of Robin and Bryan Shelton. She grew up in Pahrump, Nevada, as the youngest of three children alongside her sisters Jenni and Stephanie. She then later became a big sister to Ashley and Bella.

  Joelene was extraordinary in so many aspects of her life as she carried herself with a rare combination of tenacity and grace. She lived her life with a free-spirited flair that was entirely her own as she entered many spaces with a fierce competitiveness that shaped her into an impressive athlete. As a little girl, Joelene played football briefly in middle school right alongside all the rough-and-tumble boys who she easily matched in skill. She was a tough defensive lineman and even the team kicker as her years of prior experience playing soccer made her exceptionally good at kicking. She continued to play soccer throughout her middle school years and later played soccer and basketball through her high school years. She was exceptionally good at balancing sports and school work as she was easily described as a great student who never wanted to miss a single day of school, even if she was terribly sick, and would get extremely annoyed with her older sisters for making her late.

  As a young girl with little to no fear, she was yanking baby teeth out determined to get braces sooner and later coming home covered in bruises or proudly sporting a sprained ankle. She could easily be described as being tough as nails with an impressive tolerance for pain as she displayed a smirk across her face that vocalized without words that she knew just how impressive and cool she truly was—as if spending her free time burning her favorite music onto CDs for her little sister wasn’t extremely cool all by itself.

  After graduating high school at Pahrump Valley High, she continued her education at CSN in Las Vegas, Nevada, for accounting, then later found a passion for jewelry as she worked for a high-end jewelry store in Las Vegas, truly solidifying her duality. As a counterpart to her tough personality traits, she held herself to a high standard of politeness and poise, always dressing to impress. She had a taste for not only fine jewelry but for elegant clothing as well that she would always put a modern twist on, landing her as easily being best dressed in many of the spaces she walked into. Into her adult years, she continued playing soccer and held onto her skills as a dependable kicker as she maintained her genuine love for the sport, but she eventually found her true passion in snowboarding, which she faced with the same amount of skill and fearlessness that she always carried.

  Joelene had a beautiful heart. She found more joy in doing something special for someone else than in receiving anything herself. She loved the thought, the planning, and especially the surprise of giving someone a gift that would make them smile. She had a specific love for giving gifts that included a silly pun, to which she had many puns and dad jokes in her arsenal, which would eventually make her the perfect pairing for her husband Chris Jackson, who she met in 2020, the man who not only beautifully transformed her life and brought her to her final home in Weatherford, Texas, but who also brought out a strong mothering quality in her.

  Together, they not only ran a successful company, traveled, and tried out all the best food spots, but they also raised three talented, intelligent, and strong boys: Elijah, Channing, and Finley. Joelene took on the mothering role with pride as she loved spending her time attending their various sporting events, cooking all the best food and, during the holidays, spent all of her efforts on making it special for them, whether it was spent decorating for Halloween or coming up with hilarious and unique Elf on the Shelf set-ups for Christmas.

  Joelene was completely invested in her life with Chris and was immediately adopted by his family as she not only grew close with Chris’s sister Kim, who was particularly fond of Joelene’s eye-roll-worthy jokes, but she was also deeply loved by Chris’s father Jim. Joelene would often joke that Jim liked her more than Chris: when phone calls of his went unanswered, her phone calls were always picked up.

  Alongside her passions for true crime, ridiculously spicy food, and practical jokes, Joelene had a deep love for animals of all varieties—dogs, horses, and pigs alike! Her heart was forever full of furry love, with arguably her favorite pets being her bulldog Tug, who walked by her side for many years; her dachshund Hopper, who never left her side; and her very spoiled, very large pig Gus, who she would introduce as the “special guy in her life!”—even though Gus would never have anything on the man she truly loved: Chris.

  Joelene, with her heart of gold, led a life of laughter, love, and generosity that none of her family and friends will ever forget as we all carry her stories, jokes, and deep conversations with us everywhere we go. She was so many things—smart, adventurous, and silly—but above all, she was passionate in absolutely everything she did and dedicated her life to.

  Joelene is survived by her husband, Chris Jackson, with whom she shared six loving years, and their three boys, Elijah, Channing, and Finley; her mother and father, Robin Stika and Bryan Shelton, and her step-mother, Tarn; her four sisters, Stephanie, Jenni, Ashley, and Bella; her grandmother, Sandy; her nephews, Cooper, Owen, Samuel, Uriah, Tyler, and Peyton; her niece, Orin; her father- and sister-in-law, Jim and Kimberly; and her loving aunts, uncles, and cousins.

  For Joelene’s love of all creatures big and small, we’ve included two animal rescue websites down below if anyone is interested in donating to their causes. One for horses and one for pigs, specific animals Joelene loved dearly.

https://www.centraltexaspigs.org/

https://goldenrewardsanctuary.com/

~

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family during this difficult time.

The Staff of Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services

www.galbreaithpickard.com