Marjorie June Tice Jackson

Marjorie June Tice Jackson was born in Yukon, WV on June 14, 1925. She was the youngest of four girls born to Oliver Cromwell Tice and Letitia Barber Tice. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters Jane Gaw (Warren), Betty Strong (George), and Frances Lodwick (Lyle) . As a child she used to say. "My name is June, I was born in June, and my birthday is in June". She was raised in Tazewell, VA where she met Robert Camm Jackson who was visiting his aunts and uncles one summer. They were married by her brother in law, Reverend Warren B. Gaw on December 28, 1948. They had the original Jackson Five~four daughters and a son; thus carrying on the three generation tradition of having four girls. The birth of their son, Keith, made the news on the local TV station in Harrisonburg, VA where Robert worked at the time, showing a photo of Keith with the caption "After four girls, Robert Jackson finally had a boy!" Daughters Carol Jackson (Art) from San Miguel del Allende, Mexico, Martha Leefson (Richard) from Lafayette Hill, PA, Virginia Howard (George) from Birmingham, AL, Kathryn Peters(Larry) from Cary, NC, and son Keith Jackson(Karen) from Purcellville, VA survive her. Eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren also survive her. The family lived up and down the East Coast throughout their life, moving more than 10 times to 8 different states. In 1979 Robert and Marjorie settled in Winston-Salem, NC. Robert died in 1988.

Marjorie loved her family passionately and her family loved her deeply. It was important for her to stay close to her family and often traveled with her young children to visit with the Jackson family in Tazewell, as well as to her sister's homes in Rome, GA, Greenwood, SC, and Towson, MD. These visits resulted in lasting memories for her children and have set the tradition of keeping our families close by continuing summer vacations at the beaches in NC.

Grandmo, as her grandchildren dubbed her, had several of those famous mother and grandmother sayings, like "Don't drink and Drive". Which meant that she brought grapes on road trips so you wouldn't get dehydrated. She was a Southern woman, which meant that she was an excellent cook and always put butter on everything! She had patience for anything, she even let her children convince her to keep a squirrel as a pet in the house for several years. For many years she and her husband would go "Sailing" every Saturday morning. This was their term for hitting garage sales where they enjoyed the many bargains to be found for everyone in the family. Marjorie was always full of fun and surprises. During the bi-annual beach trip, she'd come down to the water to watch and play with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She ventured out to a bar with the rest of the family to continue the celebration of the wedding of one of her grandchildren when she was 80 years old! She had a love of music and was always singing some oldie but goodie around the house, like the "Whiffenpoof Song" and "Shrimp Boat's", to name a few. She loved Barry Manilow and has cherished memories of seeing him in Vegas with her girls, and playing the slots there. She played dollar scratchies and the last time she played, she won $87, her age at the time of her death. Marjorie loved to send birthday cards to everyone she knew, several times with cut-out pictures of family members replacing the images on the cards. Marjorie always had an open heart and an open home and was always willing to do anything for anyone. Her home was a revolving door throughout the year, but especially at Christmas when her home earned the title of "Christmas at the Zoo". You always knew if she had been at your house, because she would clean your toaster oven. Toaster ovens were her favorite gift to give as a wedding or house-warming gift.

A devout Christian, she was an active and faithful member of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, especially enjoying her time as a member of the Older Wiser Laity (OWLS) group. Ever the social butterfly, she loved to organize and attend gatherings with her friends to places such as the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Twin City Stage Little Theatre. She enjoyed her daily dose of Jeopardy and could challenge anyone who was watching it with her. She was an avid fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, and would startle anyone with her shouts at the TV while she was watching. She always hoped to catch a glimpse of her Pennsylvania daughter who often attended the games. Imagine her surprise when she actually did see her on National TV during a game!

Marjorie always had a smile for everyone in spite of the pain associated with her right foot as a result of contracting polio as a child. This last challenge of coming back from a stroke she suffered in July proved to be too much for her to overcome and after seeing so many family members in December for one last time, she passed away on January 3, 2013.

The celebration of the life of Marjorie Tice Jackson will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 12. Address for the church is:

St. Timothy's Episcopal Church

2575 Parkway Drive

Winston-Salem, NC 27103

Phone (336) 765-0294

There will be a reception at the church after the service.

Memorials can be made to the National Stroke Association, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church (OWLs), or to the charity of your choice. Donations to the National Stroke Association can be done via the web (http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=memor), phone (1-800-STROKES (787-6537), ext. 0902) or mail (National Stroke Association; 9707 East Easter Lane; Centennial, CO 80112). Marjorie was an active member of the Older Wiser Laity (OWLs) and donations to St. Timothy's Church can be designated in the memory of Marjorie Jackson to go towards the OWLs. Donations can be mailed to St. Timothy's Episcopal Church; 2575 Parkway Drive; Winston-Salem, NC 27103.