On Friday evening, June 3, 2016, God presented our angel on earth with her wings and reunited her with the love of her life. They are now together forever safely in the arms of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Born in Princess Anne County, Shirley Oldaker Dalton was 88 years old.
She graduated from Oceana High School and was forever a beach native. ‘Mom,’ as she was affectionately known to everyone, was surrounded by her loving family as she made her ascent into heaven. She was the consummate example of a pastor’s wife and proudly served in that capacity.
Shirley Dalton worked as a secretary in the business her husband founded, Dalton Contracting Inc., and served as the church secretary of Blessed Hope Chapel in Chesapeake, also founded by her husband. Her most cherished role was being a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend and mentor to her family as well as the numerous individuals who called her ‘mom.’ She was a never-dimming light to those who knew her and loved her. She will be greatly missed.
She was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. Gaston F. Dalton Sr., D.D.; parents, Audrey and Mary Claire Brown Oldaker; and two sisters and four brothers.
Left behind to cherish the memory of this wonderful lady are her three daughters, Mary Ellen McKinney of Vallejo, Calif., Phyllis Bungert (Ronnie) and Lois M. Dalton Ritger (John), and son, Gaston F. ‘Rocky’ Dalton Jr., all of Virginia Beach; 10 grandchildren, Christopher McKinney, Philip McKinney (Janelle) and Dante Siracu (Sonia) of California; Frankie Bungert (Laura), Cindi Markowitz and Benjamin Ritger (Christina) of Virginia Beach, Amy Hummer (Dustin) of Chesapeake, Lynn Ritger (Deb) of Newport News, Kristie Milby of Gloucester and Gaston F. ‘Rocky II’ Dalton III (Brittany) of Nutters; 22 great-grandchildren; loving sister, Edith Brandstetter of Strattenburg, Pa.; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews across the United States.
The family will be accepting friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, June 6, at Altmeyer Funeral Home, 5792 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at the funeral home. The Rev. Issac Addington of Gloucester will be officiating the service with comments and prayers offered by the Rev. John Robert Smith, pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel, Chesapeake, and the Rev. C. Todd Haynes, pastor of Suburban Christian Church, Virginia Beach.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Meredith Rose, Dr. Burton Alexander, the staff in the ICU on 3 East at Sentara Leigh Hospital and the staff of the Sentara Hospice House for the excellent care, respect and compassion shown to our precious mother during her final days here on earth.
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