Plan for the Future
World War II Pilot, Loving Husband, Father, and Grandfather
Albert Rohrer Shelby, 88, passed away at his home in Maplewood on Wednesday, November 30th. A long-time resident of Short Hills, N.J., he was the beloved husband of Elizabeth Griffinger Shelby.
Born in Orange, N.J. on April 19, 1923, he was the son of Joseph Bryan Shelby and Miriam Rohrer Shelby. As a young boy, they moved to Wyoming Avenue in Maplewood and he later attended Columbia High School. In his first year of college at M.I.T. the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred and Albert soon thereafter enlisted in the Army Air Corp. He piloted B-24 Liberator Bombers out of Verona, Italy in bombing missions over enemy industrial targets. At war’s end he returned to the U.S. to complete his education and marry the girl of his dreams. They settled in Short Hills and he began his long employment in the securities industry with Shearson Hamill and finally retiring from Paine Webber in the mid 1990’s.
Albert greatly enjoyed trap shooting and was an active member of the Fin, Fur, and Feather Club. Other memberships of note include the Short Hills Club, the Bay Head Yacht Club, and the veteran’s group, the Quiet Birdmen.
In addition to his wife of 61 years, Albert is survived by his three sons and their children: Bryan Shelby and his wife Linda of Madison, N.J.; Jonathan Shelby and his wife Suzanne of Madison, N.J.; Evan Shelby and his wife Susan of Hamilton, Mass; and seven grandchildren. In addition, he is survived by his brother Wallace McDowell Shelby of Quakertown, PA. His daughter Sarah Armstrong Shelby predeceased him in 1989.