Portrait of Avah Shelby. IMB Photo
Avah Shelby, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Germany and Russia, died Jan. 17, 2026. She was 87.
Avah was born May 30, 1938, in Harrisburg, Illinois, to the late Brose and Elsie Phillips. She graduated from Harrisburg Township High School and received the Diploma in Nursing from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing, St. Louis, Missouri, and the Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
She married Jack Shelby, a Baptist minister serving in Enfield, Illinois, on Feb. 8, 1959. They worked in the Tower Grove Baptist Church in St. Louis until Avah’s graduation from nursing school. In September 1962, Jack entered seminary in Mill Valley, California, and they worked in pioneer mission work and in the Glen Cove Baptist Mission in Vallejo until his graduation in 1965. Following Jack’s graduation, they moved to Gridley, California, where he became pastor of the First Baptist Church. Avah also enjoyed working as a registered nurse.
While seeking missionary appointment, Avah wrote she felt called to missions soon after putting her faith in Christ in 1947. “I soon came to know that God was calling me to special Christian service on the foreign mission field, and I gave my life to Him to be used according to His will. I began to make plans for my vocation early, planning to become a nurse, for I felt that this profession could prepare me for my best service to God.”
In 1968, the International Mission Board appointed Jack and Avah missionaries to Malaysia. They served as missionaries from 1968 to 1999. They lived in Hong Kong, where they studied language, before moving to Malaysia, where they served until 1982. They then transferred to India, where Avah served at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital. Later, they also served in Thailand and, in the early 90s, the Shelbys moved to Germany and Russia where they served until retirement.
Avah was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Jack Shelby.
She is survived by her children, Melanie Nelson (Philip), James Mark Shelby (Julie), and Scott Shelby; nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Jan. 31 at Lakeland Baptist Church in Carbondale.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Lottie Moon Offering, IMB, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at Generosity Resource Center – IMB Generosity.
Read an obituary here.