Sandra Agnes Shackelford

Island Retreat

By: Sandra Shackelford

She comes

a thief

stealing time

escaping the prison

of her ordinary life.

She throws herself

in the center

of quiet

and

meditates.

Thumbs and forefingers

touch

forming an imperfect circle.

She anticipates

the blessings

of the universe.

Sandra Agnes Shackelford, age 86, made her journey, as she described it, “toward the veil that separates the sea and the sky,” on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Born July 12, 1940, to the late Roy G. and Marion A. (Spude) Shackelford, Sandra was a gifted writer, artist, teacher, and beloved community treasure.

In 1956, while still in high school, Sandra traveled to Greenwood, Mississippi, to teach Bible school at the St. Francis Information Center. During that time, she joined Pax Christi International, a secular institute. After graduating from St. Joseph's Academy in Green Bay in 1957, she returned to Greenwood and remained there until 1967, working on civil and human rights in the Mississippi Delta. She created a kindergarten based on the teaching methods of Maria Montessori and co-edited what became an early printed voice of the community’s African-American community. Titled “The Center Light,” the weekly paper sought to fulfill its intention: “give people the light, and they will find their way.” One morning, the KKK showed its hatred by hurling a firebomb at the newspaper’s office, charring the office’s white cement block exterior.

Her experience in the Delta gave Sandra a lifelong mission to “welcome the stranger,” as the Bible encourages. She returned to Green Bay, where she continued to give voice to many new immigrant communities who made Green Bay their home. Sandra worked for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s High Risk Family Support Program, which sent volunteers to visit the homes of newly settled refugees. She was especially drawn to the Hmong community, where she chronicled, through writing and photography, the elders and their experiences as they came to the United States. She later included their stories in a collection of Hmong oral histories and folktales titled “A Portrait of Grief and Courage.” Sandra also volunteered with the Fort Howard Family Resource Center, leading a group of new Hmong citizens to Washington, D.C., where they visited the Hmong & Lao Memorial, dedicated in 1997 at Arlington National Cemetery, which commemorates the contributions of Hmong & Lao soldiers who fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War.

Sandra worked as a journalist in the Fox Valley before returning to college and completing her BA in 1975 through the UW-Green Bay’s Independent Learning Program, with a personal concentration titled “Personal Vision and the Writer’s Craft”. She continued her graduate studies in Fine Arts at UW-Milwaukee. Thereafter, Sandra taught life drawing and anatomy at UW-Green Bay and St. Norbert College in De Pere, and co-directed UW-Green Bay’s Summer Arts Program for adolescents and teens. She also served as a writing specialist at the College of the Menominee Nation and was the Integrated Arts Coordinator at Aldo Leopold School, where she used photography and writing to help students connect classroom learning with the world at large.

To further refine her writing, she attended prestigious writing conferences and led workshops at both the National Story Circle Conference in Austin, TX, and the UntitledTown Book and Author Festival in Green Bay. Her artwork was also featured in several exhibitions, including the Provincetown Art Association and National Museum Exhibition, the Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay; the Bergstrom Mahler Art Museum in Neenah, WI; and the Hardy and Idea Gallery in Door County.

She is survived by her brothers, Royal & his wife, Joyce Shackelford, and Raymond (Jim) Shackelford & his fiancée, Debbie Lardinois; nephews Steven Shackelford, Scott (Candace) Shackelford, Roy Shackelford Jr. II, and Troy (Lillian) Shackelford; and nieces Jolyce (Mark) Lumpkin, Elizabeth Baker (special friend, Mickey), Cindy (Bill) Foster, Heidi (Rick) Warpinski, and Kristin Lemmens. She is also survived by much-adored great-nieces and great-nephews, as well as many cherished friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers and their wives, Roy (Joyce) Shackelford and William (Clareen) Shackelford; and her nephew, Robert Shackelford.

Arrangements are entrusted to and online condolences may be expressed at Newcomer Funeral Home. Sandra’s family would like to express their deep appreciation for the loving, compassionate care provided by Kelsey (Inclusa), Gina, Layla, Kyla, and the entire team at Caraton Commons, as well as Paula Ferron (Emplify). Thank you to Dr. Amy James, Dr. Ron Manning, Vicky Romanski, and the wonderful interdisciplinary Supportive Care Management and Hospice teams at Unity for honoring Sandra’s life by bringing peace of mind and comfort when it mattered most.

A celebration to honor Sandra’s life will be held at a later date.

Sandra cherished each new friend she met and ended her visits by saying, “Love you to the moon and back!” We love you and miss you more, Sandra!