Thornton woman's experiences continue to change her

Shelley Lopes, who has lived in Thornton a little more than a year, has become one of its most active residents. Lopes has been active at the public library, is trying to get more services for seniors in Thornton, and serves on the Thornton Municipal Advisory Council. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)

Thornton woman's experiences continue to change her

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Monday, August 17, 2009 6:04 AM PDT

Comments (15 comment(s))

Shelley Lopes says she is a changed person over the past few years. She grew up as a partier who chased men. She had two children out of wedlock.

Now she's trying to help her new community as much as she can, and she's devoted to Ham Lane Church of Christ in Lodi.

After growing up in Oakland and living in Bakersfield, Madera and Fairfield, Lopes has adopted Thornton as the town she loves. She's only lived in the small community off Interstate 5 since May 2008, but she is active with the housing authority, public library and senior services, and is a newly elected appointee of the Thornton Municipal Advisory Council.

"I really like living in this small community," Lopes said. "You can be more hands-on here than in a larger community like Fairfield."

Marlene Corbitt, who also serves on the Thornton MAC, said she admires Lopes' energy, but she's concerned about being spread thin.

"I've seen the passion," Corbitt said. "She's a firecracker. No matter what you mention to her, she's game. But I have yet to see anything tangible accomplished."

Lopes' big passion this year was to raise money to restore library hours that were part of San Joaquin County's budget cuts. She said she had raised about $2,800 of the $13,000 they need, but she's discouraged because no one has contributed additional money since June.

Lopes, who pronounces her name as "Lopez," grew up in Oakland and attended Oakland Tech High School. She attended what is now California State University, East Bay in Hayward, but she didn't do well.

"I was so busy chasing boys, I didn't get any work done," Lopes said. "I was doing homework for boys just to get their attention."

Shelley Lopes at a glance

Born: Oakland.
Residence: Thornton, in the Mokelumne Manor public housing complex.
Community activities: Thornton Municipal Advisory Council, public library, housing authority board, seeking senior services for Thornton, helping distribute food to the needy at Thornton Community Center.
Goals: Get a bachelor's degree in psychology and become a psychologist.
Family: Husband Cornelius "Lucky" Countet, two grown children, five grandchildren.
Source: Shelley Lopes

Not only was she man-crazy, but Lopes admits being a hothead and a braggart in her early years.

She left Oakland in 1990 so her children could attend better schools. She moved to Bakersfield and then to Madera in 1992 to be near the parents of her husband, Cornelius "Lucky" Countet.

Actually she thought she married Lucky in 1992. As it turned out, Lucky didn't complete the paperwork required to finalize a divorce from a previous marriage, so he and Lopes lived unmarried until they discovered the paperwork snafu in 2003.

The couple moved to Fairfield in 2005 and then to Thornton last year after being accepted for public housing at the Mokelumne Manor complex.

While living in Fairfield, Lopes said her life turned around after discovering God, whom she credits from curing her of heart disease and multiple sclerosis. She says God has also made her a better person by curbing her temper and inspiring her to do more to help people.

Lopes says she still slips up occasionally, which she figures is related to having found God only four years ago.

"God's still working on me," she said. "I'm still a work in progress."

It was God who got her involved in the Municipal Advisory Council, housing authority, library and senior services, she said.

"God keeps elevating me on His level, not mine," Lopes said.

Although she aggressively tries to help the community, Lopes has conservative views when it comes to a woman's role.

"Women should not assert authority over men," she said. "God raised women to be a 'help meet' of the husband."

By that, Lopes meant that the husband should make all decisions, with women's participation being limited to areas where the husband is weak. For example, if the husband can no longer drive, then the wife can do the driving.

However, Lopes' husband was the type of person who let his wife run things anyway. So she did until two years ago, when Lucky turned 60 and suddenly became more assertive. Now Lopes said she has to adjust her ways yet again.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

1143 wrote on Aug 18, 2009 10:55 AM:

" Can you say: RE-BORN ????

TMI (Too Much Information)

Advice: Get a "REAL" job and then join ACORN (if not already a member). "

Archives

Story Tools

Indexes