Grady Shelton, Veterinarian Who Focused On Research

Dr. Grady Shelton, a Northwest veterinarian who became a collector of stray animals and one of the world's leading authorities on feline leukemia, died at his home on Vashon Island after a long bout of clinical depression.

Dr. Shelton was 42 when he committed suicide on Friday, Feb. 13. He was founder of the Feline Retrovirus and Oncology Referral Service, the first vet practice dedicated to the care of cats afflicted with an immunodeficiency virus similar to AIDS.

Dr. Shelton was known for his annual Christmas photos, in which he attempted to capture as many of the family's pets as would sit still and fit into the picture.

He was born in Memphis and grew up in Ames, Iowa, where he was a high-school wrestler. He wrestled in college and was a graduate of Iowa State University, where he received a doctorate in veterinary medicine.

Family members say Dr. Shelton's love of animals first surfaced as a boy when the family prepared to move from Memphis to Ames.

"My sister and I were upset about leaving our friends," said his brother, Jeffrey Shelton of Woodinville. "He was more concerned about leaving a cat behind."

Dr. Shelton moved to the Seattle area in 1981, and it was while working at a veterinary practice here that he discovered two things that were to be important in his life: He met Starla, a veterinary technician who later became his wife. And he discovered he liked animals a lot more than their owners.

"That's when he decided to plunge into research instead of dealing with people," his brother said.

Dr. Shelton studied feline retroviruses at the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation. He wrote many research papers on the subject, lectured all over the country and consulted worldwide via the Internet and by phone. He was an affiliate assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Medicine at the University of Washington and frequently was quoted in The Seattle Times as an expert on veterinary care and feline leukemia.

"He had a lot of irons in the fire," Jeff Shelton said. "His referral service took him everywhere."

But it was at his four acres on Vashon that Dr. Shelton's love of animals could best be seen. The family started raising llamas in 1989 and now have five. They've been joined by two horses, four dogs, a parrot, two goats, a python, two guinea pigs, six chickens, a chameleon, and numerous cats no one wanted who Dr. Shelton couldn't bring himself to put to sleep.

"There was never a kinder, more compassionate man," Jeff Shelton said.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Ben Shelton; a daughter, Sydney Shelton, all of Vashon Island; his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Neil Shelton, of Ames, and a sister, Marcia Ward of Marshalltown, Iowa.

There will be a celebration of life for Dr. Shelton at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Vashon Island VFW Hall. A college fund is being established for his children.