Meet Our Team

Eric Jones was the first to join the Shackelford team of preneed specialists—and he remained the only one in that position for the next year. Thirteen and one-half years before beginning work with our Selmer office, Eric was an Assistant Administrator at Hardin Medical Center in Savannah. That drew to a close on January 1, 2019 when he completely changed careers, leaving the hospital and entering the world of preplanning.

A resident of Adamsville, Tennessee, Eric and his wife Leslie are the parents of two sons, Jacob Jones and Benjamin Jones, and the in-laws to Benjamin’s wife Jurnee. In addition to his position with us, Eric has served as a pastor for the last 35 years and is presently working with the Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Eastview, Tennessee. What little spare time he has left is spent working in his yard, reading, or just enjoying being with his family.

Doug Shawgo found his way to Shackelford Funeral Directors earlier this year, after already spending 17 years in the industry. For 15 of those he owned and operated Shawgo Memorial Home in Astoria, Illinois where he also offered preplanning. For the last two years he’s been working in Tennessee, coming to us on January 15th, 2020. Before becoming a part of the funeral profession, Doug taught and coached baseball and basketball at the junior high and high school levels for 17 years. Combine all that with a few years in retail sales and as a project manager in the flooring industry, and you have a good idea of his work experience.

Doug is the husband of Lori and they are the parents of Greg Shawgo and Teresa Decker. Greg and his wife Victoria have blessed the Shawgos with four grandchildren, Noah, Simeon, Ruth, and Suzi while Teresa and her husband Kris added three to the family, Sophia, Nora, and Mariam. Needless to say, if Doug isn’t working with our Bolivar and Henderson locations, reading, taking walks, or watching movies, he’s indulging in his greatest pleasure—spending time with the grands.

On January 1, 2020, Dennis Guinn left his position as a manager at K & T Shoes in Savannah to begin working with our Savannah and Waynesboro locations. That wasn’t the only drastic change in his life since his son Malcolm Edmund had arrived just seven months before. Dennis, his wife Kathryne, and the aforementioned Malcolm reside in Savannah. When he isn’t going on adventures with his family, Dennis enjoys reading, writing, and drawing as well as playing video games, and board games (the more complicated the better, he says).