Clayton Hadley Jackson

Clayton Hadley Jackson, age 93, of Bartlett, Tennessee, passed away at St. Francis-Bartlett Hospital on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Born in Tippah County, Mississippi, on June 12, 1932, he was the oldest of 9 children. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alva and Ollie Jackson, and his siblings, A.W. Jackson, Ray Jackson, Sr, and Truzell Phillips. He is survived by his siblings, Tranton Jackson, E.C. Jackson, Brunell Hopper, Wayne Jackson, and Hank Jackson.

He attended Chalybeate High School and then Northeast Junior College. Later, he received his BA and MA in Education from Mississippi State University. While attending MSU, he was inducted into Iota Lambda Sigma Fraternity, a national honorary society in the field of industrial education. And, he worked as a barber at the MSU campus barber shop during off-class hours.

Clayton was drafted into the U.S. Army on July 2, 1957, and did his basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was stationed for 2 years in Germany, and he thoroughly loved Germany and visiting other European places like Paris, France. He was honorably discharged on June 27, 1959, and received the Good Conduct Metal.

After returning from Germany, Clayton married Annette Rees, from Purvis, Mississippi, on June 11, 1960. They were married for almost 66 years and had two children, Julia and David, one granddaughter, Madison (Kyle) Karpiscak, and two grandchildren, Hadley and Eleanor Karpiscak.

His long career as a teacher included areas such as industrial arts, mechanical drawing, casting metals, and math. And, he taught at several schools starting in Meridian, Mississippi, and then at Memphis’ Westwood High School, Hamilton High School, and Vance Junior High.

Clayton also had a small plane pilot license. He and Annette loved to rent a small plane and fly over Memphis and the Mississippi River.

He was a member of Ellendale Baptist Church and looked forward to attending his Sunday School Class every week. He greatly enjoyed the coffee and conversations with the class members.

The visitation and reception will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2026, from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm at Family Funeral Care, 4925 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38122, with the service to follow at 2:00 pm. Afterwards, the burial will take place at Memorial Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, 3700 N Germantown Pkwy, Bartlett, TN 38133.