Deon Linda Ricard

Deon Linda Ricard wasn’t just a person — she was a whole force of nature. Born May 19, 1968, in New Orleans to Faith Ricard and Paul Jackson, Deon spent her life doing what she did best: loving big and building a family that just kept growing.

If you knew Deon, you knew she was the definition of “mom energy.” She raised 9 amazing kids — Cornell, Cornesha, Rickesha, Deondre’, Casunique, Casimere, Faith, Jasmine, and Diamond — and somehow managed the beautiful chaos with grace, patience, and a whole lot of kindness. Her house? Always warm, always loud in the best way, always smelling like something incredible was coming out of the oven.

Ask her what made her happiest, and she’d tell you without hesitation: watching her family grow. She was the proudest grandma to 8 grandkids — Bri’an, Bri’a, Darriel, Love, Patience, Deondre Jr., Destiny, and Deontae’, and she made sure every one of them knew the family traditions. Cooking, singing, telling stories, baking, movie nights, handing out wisdom like it was candy… that was her love language.

She’s surrounded in spirit by her sister Atondria Smith and a family that will never stop carrying her forward.

Deon’s legacy is simple: love without conditions, bounce back no matter what, and put family first, always. We’re not saying goodbye — we’re just going to keep celebrating her, today and every day after.