Jane Marie (Junk) Shelton, 72, of Fort Wayne, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 1, 2026, surrounded by the love of family and friends.
She was born the sixth of eight children to the late Marcellus and Dorothy (McKenzie) Junk. Raised in Fort Wayne as a member of St. Vincent’s parish, Jane graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School in 1972. As a young mother of two daughters, Jane began her professional career after earning a secretarial certificate through night school at the International Business College and starting at Magnavox in Fort Wayne. Eager to learn and grow, she took every opportunity to advance, building a long and successful career as an IT specialist step by step. In doing so, she worked hard to provide her daughters with a strong role model of faith in God, consistency, determination, and a strong work ethic.
In 1998, Jane relocated to Tucson, Arizona, with the government’s Defense Logistics Agency. She treasured the beauty and adventure of desert life for many years, traveling with family and friends, swimming laps to beat her personal records, playing casino penny slots with her dear friend and neighbor Faye, and taking occasional "casual drive-bys" of Paul McCartney's house (expertly supervised by her daughter Christina). She loved hosting visitors, exploring the "Old West," and serving fresh-squeezed juice and grapefruits from her own fruit trees, always reassuring guests with her signature phrase: "It's America's Test Kitchen! Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine!"
Guests in Tucson were invited to paint a rock to leave in her rock bed to mark their stay, and Jane took great joy in showing these to visitors. She joined her neighbors' Friday night group—reminiscent of one her own parents belonged to—taking turns hosting each week, which included memorable gatherings in a neighbor's fully electrified treehouse complete with a landline telephone. Her parents even got to join in on these festivities when they visited. It was also in Arizona that she excitedly welcomed her first two grandchildren, both born at the same Tucson hospital and brought home to the very same bedroom in her house: Alexa, born to her daughter Mallory in 2003, and Gavin, born to her daughter Christina in 2009.
Jane achieved a major career milestone when she landed a position with the Indianapolis division of the FBI, where she worked until her retirement around 2016. Her family was immensely proud of her accomplishments and loved attending Family Day events with her. Living in Indianapolis allowed her to be near her aging mother in her final years, and later, to support her daughter Mallory during her battle with cancer and subsequent recovery. Jane remained ever-present for her family through all of life's seasons. To everyone’s surprise and glee, Mallory and Kyle were later miraculously blessed with two more daughters after having been told it wasn't possible. This gave Jane two more beloved granddaughters: Kensley in 2013 and Ashlynn in 2016. She was there when each of her grandchildren was brought into this world, her heart overflowing with excitement and unconditional love.
Throughout her life, Jane loved staying in touch, regularly writing letters to faraway siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. She possessed amazing, lifelong friendships and collected new ones along the way whom she cherished as family. She frequently gave what were affectionately dubbed “Jane gifts”—thoughtful tokens that always came with a great story. She enjoyed international travel and countless road trips over the years, always reassuring her daughters, "No, we're not lost, we're having an adventure!"
Jane loved Diet Coke, ice cream ("Everything but the!"), puzzles, mysteries, reading, listening to Charles Stanley's messages of faith, and spoiling her pets—her cats Mrs. Fuzzy (named by Alexa) and Snickers (named by Kensley and Ashlynn), and her grandson's dog, Harry. Above all, she adored her grandchildren, loving nothing more than watching them swim at her house and attending their school events, musicals, sports, dance, cheerleading, and color guard performances. Jane was a proud member of the Junk family, and her humor, contagious smile, and laughter brought warmth to every gathering. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.

Jane is survived by her daughters, Christina (Shelton) Graham of Fort Wayne and Mallory Shelton (Kyle Deckard) of Southern Indiana; her grandson, Gavin Graham; her granddaughters, Alexa Johnson, Kensley Deckard, and Ashlynn Deckard; her siblings, John L. (Mancharee) Junk of Vienna, VA, William J. (Jan) Junk of Angola, IN, Kenneth R. (Stacy) Junk of Orange Beach, AL, Doris (Junk) McElmurry of Seattle, WA, and Mark A. (Tina) Junk of Fort Wayne, IN; as well as many cherished nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her sister, Carol (Junk) Neuhaus, and her brother, David E. Junk.


Visitation will be held Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 5 pm to 8 pm at FairHaven Funeral Home, 6557 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN 46825.

Committal and burial services will be held at 12:30 PM on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Highland Park Cemetery, 2403 E. Wallen Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46825.

Memorial donations in Jane’s memory may be made to A Mother's Hope, a local shelter supporting mothers and their children, at https://sites.google.com/amhfw.org/inside/home.

Isaiah 66:13 "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”

John 16:22: "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

2 Timothy 4:7 – "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Psalm 23:4 – "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.