The Shockley Family Reunion is coming up!
The following information is updated as of August 4. Any future updates would be posted here, so please check back before traveling to the reunion.
W.G. & Ophelia Shockley Family Reunion
Saturday, August 8, 2026 10:30am until… (rain or shine!)
Group Shelter #1 (enclosed and air-conditioned)
Hard Labor Creek State Park
5 Hard Labor Creek Road
Rutledge, GA 30663
A map of Hard Labor Creek State Park follows. The reunion site, Group Shelter #1, is off Knox Chapel Road, in the “Cottage Area,” near Lake Brantley.
Please check in at Group Shelter 1 by 11am
Bouncy house for just our group 10:30am – 3:00pm
Bring your yard games – corn hole, etc.
11:45am – Photo of the group
12:00pm (Noon) – Barbecue and beverages will be served. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.
A short family meeting will follow around 1:00pm. Anyone wanting to speak at the meeting, please contact Sandrea or Connie (see email addresses, below).
After the meeting, you’re invited outside for cold beverages and corn hole, badminton, and horse shoes. Team colors and athletic shoes encouraged. Who will be the Shockley Champions in the senior (60 and up) adult (19-59) and youth (0-18) categories? Feel free to also enjoy family connections or the beach, 18-hole golf course, trails, or other park amenities.
7:00pm – Leftovers from lunch will be served in the Group Shelter #1.
Cost – $15 per person over 12 years or $50 per family.
For more information about Hard Labor Creek State Park, go to: https://gastateparks.org/HardLaborCreek
Sunday, August 9th
Gathering at the Shockley cemetery in Apalachee at 10:30 a.m. until no later than 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 9. This will be led by the Arch and Mattie descendants to remember family members buried there and Sunday traditions passed on by W.G. and Ophelia Shockley.
For more information, contact:
Sandrea, ssgamsby@hotmail.com (802) 309-4621 or Connie, conniedetjen@gmail.com (517) 505-0068.
Reunion organized by descendants of Arch and Mattie Shockley: Sandrea Shockley Gamsby, Chas Shockley, Scott Cole, and Connie Cole Detjen and families.
Let’s save and share Shockley stories! Everyone is invited to write down family memories. Ideas include stories from the Apalachee school house or Methodist Church, reunions, and holidays. Poems or songs you have written are welcome. Please email to hgamsby431@gmail.com, “Shockley Memories” in the subject line, or bring written material to the reunion and put it in the basket at the check-in table. Thank you to Hannah Gamsby, Charles Shockley’s granddaughter, for volunteering to compile the items into a booklet for us.
Shockley Family Reunion 