08/28/2026
Happy Heavenly Birthday to Avery Shacklette. Our office has not been the same since we lost you but today we honor you and how you even came to work at Mitch Jackson State Farm.
My wife Edie first got to know Avery through golf and helping Avery learn the game. We did not know Avery was looking for a job until one summer day Edie saw Avery filling out paperwork at the Breckinridge County Community Center. Edie stopped Avery from continuing that application and told Avery to go talk to me at State Farm. I will never forget the day I get a random text from my wife saying, get your hiring packet out. Trusting my wife’s instincts for spotting talent, I went along with discussing working at State Farm for the summer and Avery took the job. Avery was very mature for her age and she could have a conversation with any one. She made people feel comfortable speaking with her and was always professional. She was bright, confident and a joy to be around.
Avery went on to KWC to pursue her degree and to play collegiate golf. We were very proud to watch her grow as a student, a person and a golfer. We honestly never thought we had a chance of having her come back to our county to work.
Last December, before the beginning of her final semester, Avery reached out to Edie asking questions about other insurance companies/jobs. Edie excitedly messaged me yet again, put a job offer together, Avery is looking for a job! We discussed this with our team and agreed, wouldn’t it be great to have Avery back! We took Avery out to dinner in February and presented a job description and future plan for Avery. She peppered me with all of the right questions. We left dinner that night at least happy we got our foot in the door to offer her a job. We knew Avery had other interviews lined up and we gave Avery plenty of time to figure out her next step. Above all we wanted Avery to go and do whatever she wanted to do with whatever company. In March, Avery wanted to sit down and ask a few more questions. I spoke with Avery at my office in between her many golf tournaments of her last semester. Her mind wasn’t made up yet and she wanted to better understand our opportunity. We encouraged her to explore every opportunity that was offered but wanted her to know, we still wanted her to come work at State Farm. We have exceptional people that work on our team, and we knew Avery was the right fit for us. In late March, Avery let us know she wanted to come home and that she wanted our job. My team and myself were excited to begin helping her learn and helping her be successful.
Avery graduated Magna Cum Laude from KWC, was a very busy student athlete, worked for Wendell Foster in HR, was a board member for Friday after Five and was on the KWC SAAC. Quite frankly we don’t know how she did all that she did while in college. That was Avery, involved in everything, helping everyone and driven. I encouraged Avery to take a break between college and starting in our office. That didn’t sit well with who Avery was, she wanted to begin learning and earning her insurance licenses. She joined our team, she joined our family, she jumped right in.
Today we honor you Avery Shacklette, Happy Birthday to the extraordinary young lady we were blessed to know. Today we eat the cake, share a good Avery story and remember you proudly
