Marvin Fletcher Shelley, 73, passed peacefully at his North Dallas home on Feb. 8, 2013.
Shelley was a native of Plano. His ancestors settled in Collin County in the 1880s. His original family home was situated on land that is now the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas.
Shelley graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics. In his early career, he designed missile and aircraft control systems, including the Boeing 747 horizontal stabilizer for LTV Electronics and Vought Aeronautics.
In the 1970s, Shelley became head of the real estate division for LTV. In the 1980s, he designed custom homes and later started his own development company. He also owned and operated Shelley Realtors, dominating the North Arlington, Oak Lawn and Uptown markets — and is credited with coining the phrase Uptown Dallas with full-page ads in Dallas newspapers. Shelley successfully developed several residential, industrial and commercial developments in McKinney, Arlington, Dallas, Frisco, Plano, Richardson, Allen, Las Colinas and other areas of Tarrant County. In his spare time, Shelley enjoyed gardening and entertaining at home.
Shelley is preceded in passing by his father, mother and brother. Survivors include a daughter, grandson and his partner of 22 years, Derik J. Albertson. Shelley will be deeply missed by those who knew him and loved him.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 8, 2013,