William "Bill" Joseph Shellem July 11, 1946- August 18, 2015 Columbus, Georgia- William "Bill" Joseph Shellem, 69, of Columbus, GA passed away August 18, 2015 at his home surrounded by his loving family. A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 11:00 AM in the Edgewood Hall of Striffler-Hamby with Charles Aycock and Jeff Gagnon officiating. Interment will follow at Parkhill Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 5:00-7:00 PM in the St. Elmo Room. Mr. Shellem, son of the late William Joseph Shellem and late Geraldine Gaughan, was born July 11, 1946 in Media, PA and the oldest of six children. He attended Catholic schools in Media, then College of Santa Fe, NM on a tennis scholarship. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in 1968, then went through Officer Candidate School in Ft. Benning, GA, where he was commissioned into the U.S. Army and spent four years as an Officer at Ft. Benning. After being honorably discharged, he took a position as Dean of Boys at the Merchant Marine Academy in Great Neck, NY. Mr. Shellem moved to Savannah, GA in 1972, taking a position with Blue Cross Blue Shield. After three years, he returned to Columbus. While working with BCBS, he received two Masters Degrees and began work in Hospital Administration with St. Francis Hospital then with Physicians Group, Inc. He finally reached his long-time goal of starting his own business, Consults, Inc., partnering with two friends, Attorney Jerry Cloussen and Dr. George Shannon. Mr. Shellem did consulting work for physician organizations and hospitals for wellness programs and disease management. Mr. Shellem's accomplishments include: Certificate of Outstanding Service as Instructor for Platoon Tactics Committee, The Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, Appointment and Reappointment by Governor Zell Miller to the Board of Juvenile Justice, Appointment to Regions Bank Board of Directors, The Judge Aaron Cohn Service Award for work to help youths as the Chairman of the Youth Development Center Advisory Board, Appointment to the Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia, Appointment by Governor Miller to the Board of Children and Youth Services, Appointment by the Republican Congressional Committee to its Business Advisory Council of the Country's Top Business Leaders. Survivors include his loving wife of 26 years, Shirley J. Shellem of Columbus, GA; daughters Janet Shellem Gagnon (Jeff) of Atlanta, GA and Cindee Watson Aycock (Chuck) of Columbus, GA; grandsons Chad Aycock and Cory Aycock, with whom he had an especially close relationship; beloved siblings Jim Shellem, Nancy Mingey, Bernice Necrelli, Jeanne McLaughlin and Mary Francis Conner. A quote from a dear friend, "A heart of gold that gave out too soon" Dr. George Shannon.
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