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First person to die from COVID-19 in Indiana was Marion County woman

Roberta Shelton.JPG
Posted at 9:51 PM, Mar 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-17 21:51:58-04

INDIANAPOLIS — The first person to die from the novel coronavirus in Indiana was a woman in Marion County.

Friends and family told RTV6 that Roberta Shelton died Monday and said she was well-loved by those who knew her, especially those in Carroll County.

Roberta Shelton loved to give of her time and treasures. COVID-19 is blamed for her death.

In life, Roberta advocated for the families of Abby Williams and Libby German, the Delphi girls killed in 2017. Roberta hosted a concert and other awareness efforts to support the families and find the killer.

Via FaceTime, Libby's grandmother, Becky Patty, expressed both her condolences and appreciation for Roberta.

"She was a wonderful, huge advocate for Abby and Libby," Patty said. "She helped keep the story out there. Not just Abby and Libby, she was an advocate for anybody that needed it."

Roberta was vibrant, compassionate, caring, someone who loved music but her mission was to help others any way she could.

"She made this world a little bit better for the things she did," Patty said.

So Roberta is remembered for being action-oriented and for giving because it was the right thing to do.