Milford E. Shelhamer

Milford E. Shelhamer, 88, of Mifflinville, died peacefully Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at his residence. He was born March 9, 1925 in Mifflin Township on the 199 acre farm of his grandparents: Harvey and Mercy Shelhamer, a son of the late Laura Shelhamer. Milford attended the Klingerman One Room School for eight years. He graduated from the Mifflin Township Vocational High School in 1943 and enlisted in the Navy in 1944, where he served as an electrician on a simulated, land-based aircraft carrier in California, which served to train naval aviators. In August of 1947, he married the former Ellen \"Jean\" Simmons and enrolled as a part-time student at Bloomsburg State Teachers College, where he graduated from in 1956. Milford taught at Central Columbia High School from 1956 until he retired in 1985. He did graduate work at Penn State, Temple, Bucknell, Susquehanna, Texas A&M, Edinboro, Wilkes, and Bloomsburg Universities. His summers were spent as a grain inspector for the PA. Dept. of Agriculture. Scouting was an important part of Milford\'s life. As a boy in the 1940\'s, he joined Troop 7 of Mifflinville. He later became an Assistant Scoutmaster and served in that capacity until the 1960\'s, when he became Scoutmaster. Milford was a member of the Lions Club. He also served for many years as an EMT with the Berwick Ambulance and was Secretary of the Mifflinville Water Authority. He belonged to the Mifflinville United Methodist Church, where he served as a Sunday School teacher, lay speaker, treasurer, and layman to the CP Conference. Surviving Milford are his loving wife of 66 years, Jean; 2 sons: James and his wife, Debra of Mifflinville and Thomas and his wife, Colleen, also of Mifflinville; 5 grandchildren: James Shelhamer of Reykjavik, Iceland, Tara Scott and her husband, Randy of Berwick, Nathan Shelhamer and his wife, Jonelle of Benton, Kerry Barron of Mifflinville, and Joshua Shelhamer of Utah; 4 great-grandsons: Steven, Kevin, Christopher, and Scott; 2 brothers: Jacob Swisher and his wife, Barbara of Bloomsburg and Gerald Swisher and his wife, Betty, also of Bloomsburg; sister: Janice Perrett and her husband, Elliot of Maryland; cousins: Jean, Fanny, Anne, Ruth Ann, and Charlie; several nieces and nephews, and caregivers: Donna, Sally, Amanda, and Holly. As well as his mother and grandparents, he was preceded in death by uncles: Ernest, Herman, and Carmer Shelhamer, and cousin: Helen Snyder. Visitation will be 6-8 PM Monday, October 28, 2013 at the McMichael-Rairigh & Baker Funeral Home, 119-121 E. 3rd St., Berwick. A second visitation will be 10-11 AM Tuesday at the Mifflinville United Methodist, 4th and Market Streets, Mifflinville, immediately followed by his funeral service. Pastor Andrew Burd-Harris will serve as the officiant. Burial will follow at the Mifflinville Cemetery. Donations in Milford\'s memory can be made to the Mifflinville United Methodist Church, 4th & Market Streets, Mifflinville, PA. 18631 and/or to Columbia-Montour Council, Boy Scouts of America, 5 Audubon Court, Bloomsburg, PA. 17815.