Sister Maria Lucina (Melinda Shellenbarger)

January 17, 1957 - June 23, 2018

Sister Maria Lucina of the Lamb of God, SOLT, (Melinda Shellenbarger) died Saturday, June 23, 2018, after a courageous battle with cancer, at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Willey. The Celebrant will be Fr. Peter Marsalek, SOLT. Con-Celebrants will be Fr. Kevin Richter, Fr. Brian Feller and Fr. Mark Wendling, SOLT. Music will be by Sister Mary of Holy Hope and the SOLT Sisters. Lectors will be Joe Shellenbarger and Sister Maria Stella Maris. Gift Bearers will be: Sister Maria Mater Dei, Mia Balderas, Grace Elbers, Emma Elbers, and Hannah Elbers. Eucharistic Minister will be Sister Marie Hesed. Casket Bearers will be: Joe Welter, Jerry Welter, John Welter, Dan Elbers, Scott Sibbel and Vern Greving. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery in Willey. Friends may call at St. Mary's Church in Willey after 4 p.m. on Monday where there will be a rosary at 5 p.m. and a Christian Wake Service at 7 p.m. Additional visitation will be from 9:30-10:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning in the St. Mary's Parish Hall in Willey. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left at www.sharpfuneral.com. Born on January 17, 1957 at Slayton, Oregon, Melinda was the daughter of Robert and Arlene (Oenning) Welter. She is the eldest of six children and grew up in Torrence, California and Beaverton, Oregon. Melinda married Lonnie Shellenbarger at St. John the Baptist Church in Portland, OR in 1982. They welcomed their beloved daughter Lindsay, in 1984. The family resided in Oregon City where Melinda owned and operated Shell Graphics, where she did architectural renderings and Heaven’s Treasures Catholic Gift Store. After meeting Fr. Pinto, SOLT in 1992, she became a member of the Disciples of Jesus and Mary. She grew in her Catholic faith and felt God calling her to dedicate the rest of her life to His service. In 2006, Sr. Maria Lucina entered formation with the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT). She professed her first vows on July 16, 2012 and final vows on July 11, 2017. Sr. Maria Lucina was a gifted artist and shared her many gifts with everyone she encountered. She served for many years at Our Lady of Corpus Christi Retreat Center, in Corpus Christi, Texas, at Divine Mercy Parish in Belize City, Belize and at Domus Trinitatis in Willey, Iowa. Sister Maria Lucina is survived by her daughter, Lindsay (Rory) Fitzgerald of Orlando, FL; her mother, Arlene Welter of Beaverton, OR; her siblings: Joseph (Junita) Welter of Aloha, OR, Jeffrey Welter of Vancouver, VA, Lisa (Randy) Cornwell of Beaverton, OR, John Welter of Hillsborough, OR, and Jerry Welter of Aloha, OR; as well as many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and the members of her SOLT family. Her father, Robert Welter and her husband Lonnie Shellenbarger preceded her in death.