Millie Shackelford will be celebrating her 100th birthday on February 13, 2026. She was born in Miami, Oklahoma as Mildred Hartwell Cartwright. Her early life was marked by frequent moves. After the loss of her mother, she followed her father’s various jobs during the depression.
During High School, she ended up in Superior Arizona and met Troy Shackelford. They married on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). After their wedding, they traveled to Virginia Beach to wait for Troy’s Aircraft Carrier to be deployed to the Pacific war effort. While Troy was in the Navy, Millie worked as a phone operator for the Military in Port Hueneme.
After the war, Troy and Millie visited their lifelong friends, George and Lawanda Campbell, who lived in Fillmore. Troy got a job at Rudkin Motor Service, and Millie worked as a Dress Shop Associate and later as a Pre-School Paraprofessional at the Sonshine School where they raised two children.
Millie’s love for Fillmore was exemplified by her involvement in its organizations and activities. Some of these include PTA, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Ventura County Garden Club, and a volunteer at the Fillmore Library during Art Arundell’s tenure.
Her attributes of creativity, curiosity, a sense of adventure, and loyalty to friendships mark her many interests, including sewing, cake decorating, gardening, epic orchid and rose cultivation, Floral Design, pottery, reading, fitness activities (such as Curves and daily walks), and especially her many travels.
She and Troy had two children, five grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. In 2014, a decline in Millie’s health forced her to leave her beloved Fillmore to live in an assisted living facility near her son in Fresno. Recently, she has relocated again to an assisted living facility in Idaho near her son’s current home.
Despite an unsettled childhood, her constant positivity, infectious smile, and love for people have made her special to the many lives she has embraced. We celebrate her 100 years of Giving and Love.