Thomas McRoy Shelley Jr

Thomas McRoy Shelley Jr., 80, of Columbia, South Carolina, passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Born April 15, 1943, in Aynor, SC, Thomas was one of four sons of the late Marjorie Shelley (Dudley) and Thomas McRoy Shelley, Sr..

Thomas graduated Aynor High School and attended three years at the University of South Carolina before beginning a career in accounting, much of that spent as a finance manager and office manager for various automobile dealerships.

He married his high school sweetheart, Juanita Fowler, in 1962, and they raised three children, Monica Kimberly (Shelley) Avera, Thomas McRoy Shelley, III, and Hope Renee (Shelley) Gray. Thomas and Juanita were divorced in 1989.

Thomas was predeceased by two of his brothers, Irwin and James, and is survived by his brother Dudley. Thomas had two sons-in-law, Chris Avera and John Gray, and a daughter-in-law, Rebecca Monroy, all of whom he loved as his own. There are eight grandchildren: Preston,Dakota, and Brooke Avera; Rachel, Riana, and Ryan Shelley; and Hayden and Dalton Gray. Thomas was known for his kind heart and quick smile, and, like his father, was often generous to a fault. He liked cooking, loved eating, and was stubbornly independent. Also somewhat like his father, he was known to “accumulate” items which had served their purpose but which could still be useful in other ways - although the supply always far exceeded any possible demand.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Antioch Baptist Church in Galivants Ferry, SC, where his mother, father, and others in his extended family are buried.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com/weco.

Final arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation State Street, 200 State Street, West Columbia, SC 29169, 803-999-5015.