Abram A. "Abe" Shelly (1900-1980) was born on 1 April 1900 in the Mennonite village of Kronstal (Chortitza Colony, Ukraine) to Abram David Schellenberg (1872-1964) and _____. The Schellenberg family immigrated to Canada in 1912, initially settling in Osler, Saskatchewan. Two years later they moved to Hague. In 1927 Abe and his brother Dave founded Shelly Brothers Ltd. In 1940 Abe changed his surname to Shelly. From 1958 to 1968 he served as the Vice President and General Manager of Loblaw's western division. In 1960 the Shellys moved to Calgary.

Shelly married Susanna (Sonja) Thiessen (1903-1990). They had three children: Ben, Elma, and Grace. Abe Shelly died on 23 December 1980 at age 80.