Gil Shackelford

Thomas Gilchrist Shackelford III, who knew he could ignore you if you called him Thomas, leaves behind his wife of 48 years and the love of his life, Sharon Loeb Shackelford. He is also survived by their three children, Alison Shackelford Hewitt, Amy Laurel Shackelford, and Graham Michael Shackelford, his son-in-law Heath Martin Hewitt, his daughter-in-law Jacquelyn Ho, and his 7-year-old grandson, Charles Isidore Hewitt.

Gil was a natural-born musician, able to play any tune by ear. Before settling down to become an electronics engineer and raise a family, he was in a series of bands, including Early Bird and the Worms, Blitzkrieg Sound Attack, CTW&R, and The Buffalo Band. The Buffalo Band’s song, “Home is Where the Heart Is,” aired on the radio in 1975. Gil sang and played guitar and piano, among many other instruments. He loved to golf and could be found on the course with his buddies a couple of times a week. He was a quiet, reserved man, which made his killer sense of dry humor all the funnier.

Gil and Sharon attended Lanier High School together in Montgomery, and were first introduced in 1969 when Sharon was invited to one of the band’s practices. By January of 1970 they began dating. When Gil traded high school for a GED to pursue music in Arizona, Sharon’s math teacher gave her some of Gil’s “points” to boost her grade from a B to an A. Sharon began attending the University of Colorado, but when Gil picked her up for winter break her sophomore year, Gil and Sharon could not bear the separation any longer and Gil proposed with one knee on the steering wheel while driving through Texas. They were married on Feb. 8, 1973, at the Standard Club in Montgomery, Alabama, when Gil was 20 and Sharon was 19.

They lived in a small house in Montgomery for a few years while Gil played clubs with The Buffalo Band and Sharon worked in a bank. In 1976 they moved to Columbus, Ohio to complete college, and Gil got his engineering degree and was courted by several companies. When Gil took a job with Applied Materials, they moved to San Jose in 1979, where their three children were born and raised. Gil later worked with Varian Medical Systems testing their oncology software and machines, before retiring in 2013.

He taught his children to fly kites, ride bikes and drive cars. He helped them with math homework, made great cheese toast, and made sure they appreciated weird movies.

After his retirement, Gil could often be found hanging out with his neighbor Rene; golfing with his buddy Dan; visiting his grandson in Los Angeles; traveling with his wife to places like Alaska, Paris, and the Baltic; delivering food for Meals on Wheels; watching sci-fi shows; and napping.

Gil was born on July 21, 1952 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Thomas “Tom” Gilchrist Shackelford Jr. and Bessie “Betty” Smyer Shackelford. He was the third of three children, with older sisters Bettina “Tina” Gilchrist Shackelford Wood and Mary Kay “Kay” Shackelford Brown. The family moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1954, where Gil began elementary school, and they moved to Montgomery, Alabama in 1959 when Gil was 7. His father Tom was a Lt. Colonel in the Army during WWII and Korea, and became the chief of water safety for the state of Alabama. His mother Betty was housewife and a fantastic cook.

Gil is already very, very deeply missed.