{"id":732,"date":"2026-06-18T11:32:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T11:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=732"},"modified":"2026-06-18T11:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T11:32:27","slug":"san-francisco-socialites-found-dead-on-side-of-interstate-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=732","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco socialites found dead on side of Interstate 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The San Francisco arts community is mourning the loss of Judith and Wylie Sheldon, longtime patrons of film and performances in the city. On Monday evening, a California Highway Patrol officer discovered the couple\u2019s bodies inside their car on the side of Interstate 5 north of Redding. Judy was 84, and Wylie was 86.<\/p>

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The Sheldons lived in Pacific Heights and often opened their home to artists, hosting visitors in town for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, where Judy was a chairman on the board.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cThey were so dear and devoted to one another,\u201d said Anita Monga, the artistic director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. \u201cI know that being part of San Francisco was very important for them. They were in a position to be supportive of the arts. They raised their family here, and they were such integral parts of the community.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

Lieutenant Josh Smith with the CHP told SFGATE that the couple was traveling to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival when, on June 15 around 5:46\u00a0p.m., a CHP officer checked on their Jeep Compass parked along the highway approaching Lake Shasta. The car\u2019s engine was still running, and the couple was found unresponsive inside.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of information now,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAn autopsy has not been performed yet. We\u2019re waiting to hear when they\u2019ll schedule that.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

Smith said they do not suspect foul play. Investigators are contacting family and friends for more information, as well as retracing the couple\u2019s journey from the Bay Area to check where they stopped along the way.<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cIt was the hottest day of the year so far, or second hottest. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s always a possibility that excessive heat played a role,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut I can\u2019t confirm that without a medical exam.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Judy was born on May 21, 1942, in Los Angeles to Hollywood parents, according to her IMDb\u00a0page. Her mother Margaret\u00a0Tallichet appeared in several 1940-era films, including \u201cIt Started With Eve\u201d and \u201cStranger on the Third Floor,\u201d while her father, William\u00a0Wyler, was a decorated director.\u00a0His career began in 1929, and he\u2019d go on to set a record by winning three Academy Awards for best director, including one for the epic \u201cBen-Hur.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

William Wyler also directed the popular romantic comedy \u201cRoman Holiday,\u201d starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Monga said that Judy briefly appears in the film alongside a sibling.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

\u201cShe\u2019s at the Trevi Fountain, and Gregory Peck steals her camera,\u201d Monga said. \u201cJudy used to joke that she and her sister did so badly that their dad never put her in another film. She was very charming.\u201d<\/p>

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In 2003, Judy told the San Francisco Chronicle how growing up with Hollywood parents had its setbacks. \u201cI hated to be the daughter of a famous person because I always felt, \u2018Why should I be getting all this attention \u2014 he\u2019s the one who\u2019s done something,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Judy and Wylie Sheldon both graduated from Stanford University. Wylie attended\u00a0Stanford Law School and went on to practice law until 2008.<\/p><\/div>

The couple raised two sons, Christopher and Samuel, in San Francisco and often hosted parties for the arts inside their Pacific Heights home.\u00a0Monga said Judy and her siblings would rotate their father\u2019s Oscars; during some parties at her home, Judy would allow guests to hold and pose with the golden trophies.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

The Sheldons spread their influence across the city\u2019s art and culture communities, including the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Performances, where Judy served as the gala co-chair in 2022.<\/p><\/div>

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