Maria Consuelo Jackson

Cheli (Maria Consuelo Orio y de la Vega) Jackson died on July 31, 2025, in Dallas, TX, after several years of declining health. Born September 5, 1926, in Manila, the Philippines (then a US Possession) to expatriate Spanish parents Joaquin Orio and Maria Concepcion de la Vega, she grew up and was educated in Manila, speaking Spanish, Tagalog and English, which she learned ironically from the German nuns who operated the convent school she attended. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, her father died of consumption; Cheli, her mother and sister all narrowly escaped execution by the Japanese. Postwar, still in the Philippines, Cheli met and married her husband George Daniel Jackson, a young West Point graduate and officer serving with US occupation forces.

Over the course of her life, she lived in at least eight countries including the Philippines, US, Spain, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Tunisia, and Hong Kong - while raising six children, overseeing their education, and supporting her husband’s careers in the US Army and later the offshore oil industry. Cheli was always an avid reader of history, politics, current events and fiction. She loved to entertain; her gracious hospitality was a spectacular tribute to international travel and her Spanish heritage, of which she was very proud. She was an accomplished 5-star cook who delighted in preparing diverse meals for guests, especially her children and grandchildren. Intellectually curious, she formed strong opinions on all matters from politics to religion. At the same time, she was a genuinely compassionate soul and devout Catholic. She made many lifelong friends wherever she went. With a hearty laugh readily available, she enjoyed her extraordinary life and the people in it thoroughly. A true matriarch, Cheli imbued the family with a drive for education, a love of travel and food, and tight family connections. She taught her children how to not just survive, but to fully embrace life in challenging times.

Cheli was predeceased by her husband of 61 years. She is survived by her six children, George (Ellen), Mary Norton (Dwight), Jennifer Stipick (Mike), Elena Forsyth (Patrick), Tina Noah (Doug) and James (Jennifer); along with eleven grandchildren, Dwight Norton, Betzi Norton, Vickie (Stipick) Hunter, George Stipick, Connor Forsyth, Patrick Forsyth, Christina (Noah) Jacobs, Douglas Noah, Faith Noah, Kara Jackson, Sean Jackson; and eleven great-grandchildren.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at All Saints Catholic Church, 5231 Meadowcreek Dr, Dallas, TX 75248. Cheli will be placed to rest with her husband at Dallas/Ft. Worth National Cemetery following the service.