The Pike County Extension Office will host a retirement reception for Sheron Mitchell, administrative support associate, from 1:30 until 3 p.m. at Cattleman Park.

Everyone is invited to share this special time with Mitchell, who will retire after 34 years with the Alabama Extension Service. Nearly 20 of those years have been with the Pike County Extension Office in Troy.

Heath Wesley, Pike County Extension coordinator, said Mitchell came to the Pike County Extension Office after working first with Extension offices in Walker and Montgomery counties.

“Sheron has been the pillar of the Pike County Extension Office for nearly two decades,” Wesley said. “Her knowledge of Extension goes back 34 years and that knowledge and experience are invaluable. Sheron has done an extraordinary job in serving our clients. She is a true professional in every sense of the word. She is a dedicated friend of Extension service and she will be missed.”

Tammy Powell, retired Pike County Extension coordinator, worked with Mitchell for “all those years.”

“Jeanetta Argo in Walker County hired Sheron and that was the best hire she ever made,” Powell said. “We were blessed to get Sheron at the Alabama Extension Service and very fortunate when she decided to come work for us here in Pike County.”

Powell said Mitchell brought to Pike County a wealth of experience she had gained in working with farmers and 4-H programs in Walker and Montgomery counties.

“She continued to gain knowledge and experience working with the Pike County Extension Office,” Powell said. “She has been a valuable and contributing part of 4-H and all Extension services here in Pike County for 20 years. How do you replace that? You can’t.”

Powell said she worked with a lot of people during her tenure with the Pike County Extension Service but none more dedicated to her job than Mitchell.

“There was not a finer person to work with than Sheron,” she said. “She is a Christian with high values and she exemplifies those values every day. Extension is better because of her.”