Shirley Nelson Death and Obituary, Who is Shirley Nelson? Where is she now?
Shirley Nelson Death and Obituary, Who is Shirley Nelson? Where is she now?
Most people thought Ron and Shirley Nelson had a perfect marriage, but after nearly 30 years together, it was torn apart in a round of gunfire. Shirley was born in 1930 and grew up in Pennsylvania. “She’s always been very caring. She loves animals. She loves sports. She loves people,” granddaughter Amy Vandenheuvel told “Snapped,” which airs Sunday at 6/5 on Oxygen.
Shirley’s first marriage ended in nullity when she was unable to conceive. The second marriage produced two stepsons with whom she remained close throughout her life. The second marriage ended in divorce, but another romance began when she met Ronald Allen Nelson, a 24-year-old CPA.
Despite a 12-year age difference, Shirley and Ron hit it off and married in 1967.
“She never looked at her age. She liked it, no one could guess her age, and Ron liked it. She was always well-dressed and he liked to show her off,” Vandenheuvel said.
Shortly after their marriage, Ron began working for the cartoonist and “Peanuts” comic strip creator Charles M. Schulz. The couple moved to Santa Rosa, Northern California, where Schultz is based. As Schulz’s Managing Director, Ron oversees multi-million dollar marketing campaigns and licensing transactions. Thanks to his lucrative salary, the Nelsons enjoyed expensive vacations and lavish dinners, and lived in country clubs and golf resorts.
In May 1995, the Nelsons celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary. But less than two months later, on the morning of July 5, 1995, Santa Rosa police received a 911 call reporting a shooting at 1 Snoopy Place, where Schultz’s production offices were located.
Officers arrived at the scene and found Ronald Nelson, 53, lying face down on the sidewalk. He was shot twice in the back. Inside the building, they found Shirley Nelson, 65, shot in the chest, self-inflicted, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The .357 caliber revolver used in the shooting was found nearby. The Nelsons were taken to hospital and police asked Shirley what happened.
“She replied, ‘I shot him. I shot my husband. Is that son of a bitch dead?” Santa Rosa police officer Amanda Perke told Snapped. “She was very excited, very angry, and kept repeating, ‘Did I kill him? I hope he’s dead.
Both Ron and Shirley Nelson will undergo surgery to treat their serious gunshot wounds. Doctors aren’t sure if they will survive.
Ron’s colleagues told detectives that Shelly was in a new black car on the morning of the shooting.
“[She] said to the receptionist, ‘Is he in there?’ and she walked into his office. He got up and she fired two shots in the back of him, apparently two more shots, but missed him, “Prosecutor David Dunn told Snapped.
Detectives spoke with Ron’s boss, famed cartoonist Charles M. Schultz, who said he knew the cause of the shooting.
“He said Ron was having an affair with his secretary, which he kept secret for a while,” private investigator Chris Reynolds told Snapped.
Secretary Erin Christensen is in her early 40s, while Ron is 53. Fearing a sexual harassment lawsuit, Schultz threatened to fire the couple if they didn’t end the relationship. Meanwhile, Shelly found out about it a month before filming. The fact that Ron cheated on a young woman was a blow to her self-esteem as a dynamic and glamorous wife and entertainment executive who built her self-esteem.
Friends of the Nelson family say the marriage has been strained since Shirley suffered a stroke in 1991. While she didn’t have any long-term physical effects, it was a powerful reminder of their age difference. Realizing that something has changed in their marriage, Shirley struggles with her looks to impress her husband.
