Jerry Mack Shelby

Jerry Mack Shelby, 95, of Amarillo, Texas, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, went home to the Lord on April 17, 2026.

A Witness to the Resurrection service will be held at 10:30 am on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Boxwell Brothers Ivy Chapel, 2800 Paramount. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors

Jerry was a devoted follower of Jesus and served as a beacon of light, humor, and encouragement for his family, many friends, and acquaintances.

Jerry was born in Winnsboro, Texas, the oldest of 6 children of Mack Shelby and Mary Blanche Stephenson. At the age of 17, after his father passed and the family was split up, he moved to Houston, where an uncle arranged a job at Gulf Oil Corporation as a station attendant. In 1951, during the Korean War, he was drafted into the Army and served in the First Guided Missile Group at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. With the aid of the GI Bill, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1957 with a B.S. in Geology.

It was on his first Geology class field trip that he met the love of his life, Gay Salinas Shelby. They were married on August 25, 1956. Once again, Jerry found himself working for Gulf Oil Corporation as an exploration geologist and moved with Gay to Amarillo, Texas, in 1957. With his talent, work ethic, and by God’s grace, Jerry progressively moved into management and executive roles at Mesa Petroleum Company, Amarillo Oil Company, and Pioneer Production Corporation, culminating in his appointment as President in 1983.

Jerry and Gay found a church home at First Presbyterian Church, where they served in many roles and established life-long friendships. Jerry joyfully served the Lord as a deacon and elder, member of the Pastoral Search Committee, and teacher of Sunday School for over 35 years, studying biblical texts and commentaries to ensure he communicated the love and word of God as best he could.

Jerry served on the board of the Amarillo Area Foundation, American Life-Focus Foundation, and the United Way, among others.

As his career wound down, Jerry found a new passion for fly fishing and fly tying. He loved fishing the rivers and streams of New Mexico and Colorado with friends and family. He and Gay purchased a cabin in South Fork, Colorado, where they hiked over 100 local trails and hosted many memorable Christmas and summer family vacations, as well as fly-fishing trips with their beloved ISOTET (in search of the elusive trout) group. Jerry and Gay loved to travel, enjoying adventures with their family, including extended visits to their daughters and sons-in-law in Hawaii and California, respectively.

Jerry made friends wherever he went with his infectious smile, quick wit (he loved puns), and genuine care for every person he met. His love was unconditional, true, generous, and joyful to neighbors, fast-food and restaurant workers, medical professionals, car mechanics, and grocery clerks, among many others. Two of his favorite foods were pie and ice cream, often together, along with the creative cooking of his wife, Gay. He also enjoyed café mochas, watching college sports, caring for their flower garden, listening to jazz and classical music, and studying the Word of God. Above all, Jerry loved Jesus, Gay, and his family.

He is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Gay Shelby, of Amarillo, Texas; his daughter, Theresa Shelby, and husband, Nelson Kanemoto, of Honolulu, Hawaii; his daughter, Annette Shelby, husband John Todd, and granddaughter Emma Todd, of Palo Alto, CA.

Charitable donations may be made to Amarillo’s Faith City Mission (faithcity.org) and The Word is Out (thewordisout.com), two ministries that epitomized Jerry’s love of God, His Word and His people.