Bryan Park Shelton
Obituary
Bryan Park Shelton passed away in the early morning on June 5, 2026, from an aggressive glioblastoma brain tumor. He collapsed at work on March 25 and fought hard for 10 weeks. He spent his final days cherishing moments with family and friends, eating dinner at his favorite restaurants, making his way through his collection of rare whiskeys, and listening to the birds sing in the backyard.
Bryan was born in Pryor, Oklahoma, on July 9, 1963. He attended Pryor High School and then Oklahoma State University and The University of Oklahoma for college and medical school, respectively. In 1990, Bryan moved to Kansas City for his anesthesia residency, where he met his wife, Natalie. They were married on October 12, 1991, and began growing their family shortly after. They raised four children together, and being a dad was Bryan’s greatest joy in life. Bryan also worked as an anesthesiologist at various Tulsa hospitals throughout his career and took immense pride in his work.
No one loved life more than Bryan did, and he spent his days chasing adventures, whether that was trekking through the mountains (especially the Tetons), going to concerts and musicals, or trying new recipes on the grill. He loved to travel with his family, golf with his friends, support the OSU Cowboys, and ski and hike as much as possible. Bryan was the ultimate trip planner and travel guide, always making sure every detail was perfect for those he loved. He made friends everywhere he went, and anyone who had the privilege of conversing with him, even briefly, benefited from his loving, dedicated, confident, outgoing, and funny nature.
Bryan is survived by his wife (Natalie), children (Claire, Jacob, Hannah, and Camille), and daughter-in-law (Misha). He is also survived by his mother (Carolyn Womack) and two siblings (Jana Robbins and husband Brady and Brad Shelton and wife Gaylyn), as well as countless nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends.
We’ll remember Bryan as our greatest encourager and a consistently safe and reassuring person for us to lean on. Although we didn’t get nearly enough time with him, we’re grateful for the many years of laughter and adventures, and we’ll carry the lessons we learned from him for the rest of our lives.
We will celebrate Bryan’s life on Saturday, July 18 at 1:30 p.m. at Asbury Church. A reception will immediately follow at The Silo Event Center, 4629 W. 41st Street, Tulsa, OK 74107. In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to St. Jude children’s hospital in Bryan’s name.
Events
Celebration of Life
Reception
Tributes & Memories
Bryan was my anesthesiologist during my shoulder surgery back in 2006. My crazy sister was with me in pre-op and embarrassed Bryan by becoming interested in his shoes (as I recall, they were crocs) to the point that she pulled up his scrub pants leg to get a good look at them! You should have seen his face! It was all so funny. We had a great conversation, and I couldn't have been in better hands during my surgery. My husband was dying of lung cancer during this time, and I knew I was going to have to re-home my horses. I had one very gentle one, perfect for beginners, that my sister suggested I give to Bryan's family, which is just what I did. It was a true gift to me to know that my sweet horse was going to such a nice family. The Sheltons invited me to their home for dinner, where I got to meet Claire, Jacob, Hannah, and Camille. I am forever grateful for the kind support this family gave me during those hard times. I moved back to Arkansas following my husband's death, but I got to watch the Shelton kids grow up through the great Christmas cards Natalie sent me each year. What an impressive, accomplished bunch! My heart goes out to all of you.
Robin Howard
This picture of Bryan in the Amazon brings back all the great memories of the trip we shared. We so enjoyed the many laughs, hikes, bowls of Ceviche and the odd Old Fashioned. We miss you Bryan and send our love to Natalie, Claire, Jacob, Misha, Hannah and Camille. Much love Ed and Melanie Vegter
Edward Vegter
As part of Bryan & Natalie’s extended family, we send our love & prayers. Chuck Bloom & family.
Chuck Bloom
Bryan was do kind and helpful to me when I took my first job with Tulsa Anesthesiologists in 1995. He was immediately a mentor and friend to the new guy making that move so much better and easier. He was always a great hubby to Natalie and father to his crew. He will be missed immensely.
Steven Ellstrom MD, FASA
Bryan and I were part of the same community at Asbury Church in Tulsa, and we had a lot of fun playing two seasons of intramural basketball together there. Bryan was the ultimate team player and I especially loved that he loved playing basketball with our bros as much I did. Our team made it to the league championship game each year, even though collectively we were the oldest group out there, but we lost to the youngest team; mainly because half of our team were on the DL nursing minor basketball related injuries—LOL! Bryan will be deeply missed by all who knew and love him. I’ll always carry the memories of the time God gave me with him—and I want to tell him that when God calls me to heaven that you and I have next game together bro :) Kevin Cunningham
Kevin Cunningham
My brother's and I went to Pryor high-school with Bryan. What a great brother. One of the funniest and nicest guys you could ever meet. Bless the family.
Scott Blackwell
My condolences to Bryan's family. We graduated from high school together. I'll always remember how smart and dedicated to task he was in class and his perfect attendance record for like 12 years! At each end of year awards assembly we as a class were always amazed as he was called up for another award! As a wrestling cheerleader, I remember him wrestling and cheering for him. In later years as a nurse, I enjoyed seeing him in the Tulsa hospitals and told him I knew he would do great things. One of the good ones! Sending prayers for peace and comfort to his family. Sincerely, Teresa Grossman Pritchett
Teresa Grossman Pritchett
I knew Brian since Kindergarten. We were in the same Cub Scout Troop. We both graduated from PHS in 81. After that we lost touch, though I saw him at one of the reunions. He was one of the best and smartest guys I knew and there was never any doubt he would be a success. His death is a shock to me. I wish I could have spoken with him again.
Lawrence "Larry" Brown