Carmella Shelhamer

Funeral services for Carmella P. Shelhamer of Albert Lea, MN, will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, January 10, 2019 at St Theodore Catholic Church in Albert Lea. Father Eugene Stenzel will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Hanover, N.J. at a later date. Carmella died Wednesday evening at the Thorne Crest Apartments in Albert Lea. She was 97 years of age. She was born January 29, 1921 in Norristown, PA, the daughter of Serafino and Lena (Nave) Porretti. She graduated from Norristown High School and in 1945 was united in marriage to Leonard Shelhamer in Pennsylvania. Carmella spent her younger years in Norristown then moving to North Caldwell, N.J. where she spent the next 50 years. She had resided in Albert Lea since 2002. Carmella enjoyed knitting, golf, gardening and loved to go on walks. She is survived by her sons Dr. Leonard (JoAnn) Shelhamer of Albert Lea, MN, and Thomas Shelhamer of Martinsburg, W.V. There are four grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Carmella was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two sisters Frances and Mary and one brother Ed. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St Theodore’s church, or a charity of your choosing.