By Staff
Mr. Shelton Winstead, Jr., age 88, a resident of 307 East 12th Street, Washington, died Saturday, August 1, 2009 at his home.
A graveside funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, August 4, 2009 in Oakdale Cemetery with Rev. Robert J. Paciocco officiating.
The family received friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, August 3, 2009 at Hillside Funeral Service.
Mr. Winstead was born September 6, 1920 in Beaufort County to Eddie Shelton Winstead, Sr. and Mabel Brown Winstead. Shelton graduated from Washington High School in 1938. He married Mary M. Winstead on March 29, 1946 who survives. Shelton entered the United States Army Air Force on June 11, 1942. He did basic training at Keesler Army Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Shelton was sent to radio school in Harlingen, Texas to train to be a Radio Aerial Gunner. He was assigned to a combat crew for B-17’s and was later sent overseas to join the Eighth Air Force in November of 1943. Assigned to the 95th Bomb Group (H), 335th Squadron for combat duty, their crew flew 28 combat missions during the next six months. After completing a tour of combat duty, Shelton served as an instructor and trained radio operators on B-17’s and B-29’s in procedures for encoding messages, direction finding, and operation of equipment under combat situations. Transferring to Selman Field in Monroe, Louisiana, he worked in the communications section as an instructor, performed maintenance checks on equipment, and flew over water navigation flights as a radio operator. In October of 1945, Shelton was transferred to Seymour Johnson Field in Goldsboro, North Carolina where he was honorably discharged on October 10, 1945. Shelton received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, European – African – Middle Eastern Service Medal with bronze stars, Presidential Unit Citation Badge with two oak leaf clusters, Air Offensive Europe-Normandy Service Medal, and Combat Aircrew Wings. Shelton was a member of the International Goldfish Club which signifies that he was forced to ditch his plane in the North Sea on January 4, 1944. After military service Shelton began work with the United States Postal Service in the Washington Office in 1959 as a clerk and served as Superintendent of mail in Washington from 1965 to 1972. He was promoted to Postmaster in Chocowinity, NC in 1973 and served in that position until his retirement in 1978. Mr. Winstead served on the Beaufort County Domiciliary Home Community Advisory Committee and volunteered with Beaufort County DSS from 1997-1999, the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and volunteered and served as a past volunteer director for the Beaufort County Council on Aging. He also served as advisor for the retired Federal Employees Senior Insurance Information Program. He received multiple recognitions from 1990-1999 by NC Governors for his volunteer efforts.
In addition to his wife he is survived by Deborah Hall and husband Michael of Washington, Eddie Winstead, III and wife Libby of Sanford and Susan Dove and husband Barry of Bladenboro; seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be directed to: Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center, 1209 Brown Street, Washington, NC 27889.
You may share a memory with the family and view Shelton’s video tribute by visiting www.hillsidefuneralservice.com
Hillside Funeral Service of Washington is serving the Winstead family.
Paid Obituary