Jacqueline Irene Scott

Born on December 4, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, to Walter and Theresa Banks McFall, she attended Englewood High School and completed certificate programs at Chicago Teachers College.

Jackie found the love of her life in Orville Ray Scott Jr. They married on March 17, 1958, in Chicago, beginning a partnership built on unwavering devotion, shared faith, and mutual respect. Together they raised four children and created a home where laughter was plentiful and love unquestioned. As Orville’s career led the family to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in January 1972, and later to Raleigh, Jackie embraced each new chapter with grace, building community wherever she lived.

While Jackie’s life was not defined by accomplishments or titles, she served as a teacher’s assistant in the Chicago Public Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and later the Wake County Public School System. She was loved everywhere she served, but became especially cherished at Brassfield Elementary, where generations of children, teachers, administrators, and families experienced her warmth, patience, encouragement, and unmistakable joy. She had a gift for making every child feel seen, safe, and celebrated.

She was a devoted member of Christian Faith Baptist Church, where her beloved husband served as a deacon. Jackie faithfully tithed, adding stickers and handwritten notes of encouragement to her envelopes each month.

When asked, “How are you?” she almost always answered, “Blessed and highly favored.” It wasn’t a slogan. It was how she lived. Her faith shaped the way she loved, served, forgave, and cared for others. She spoke openly of moments when she believed God had spoken directly to her, carrying that quiet assurance through every season of her life.

Joy was one of Jackie’s superpowers. She made ordinary life feel extraordinary. Walks became birdwatching adventures. Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals became family productions. Christmas wasn’t about what money could buy; it was about imagination and love. She tied ribbons where others saw wrapping paper. She added beauty where others would have stopped. When she couldn’t find Christmas angels that looked like her Black family, she painted them herself so her children could see themselves in the story. She laughed easily and had a remarkable ability to delight in people, making each person she encountered feel they mattered.

More than anything, Jackie loved people. She never met a stranger. She noticed those others overlooked.

She remembered birthdays, celebrated milestones, prayed faithfully, and quietly showed up. She raised her children intentionally, not to pursue perfection but to become people of character and kindness. Years later, when Jackie needed help herself, neighbors she had loved for decades lovingly returned that care.

Jackie gave her family a rare gift: a home where love was so certain that kindness, loyalty, forgiveness, and generosity simply seemed like the way the world worked. Jackie didn’t prepare her children and grandchildren for cynicism. She taught them to expect goodness. She did not prepare her family for the world; she prepared them for heaven. Every day, she tried to bring a little of heaven to earth.

Jackie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Orville Ray Scott Jr., and her treasured youngest son, Stuart Orlando Scott.

She leaves to celebrate her life her children, Susan Theresa Scott, Synthia Scott Kearney, and Stephen Scott; her grandchildren, Jade Bobbitt, Zoe Thornton, Lauren Santana, Brooke Kearney, Calvin Kearney Jr., Nicole Smith, Tamara Scott, Aaron Scott, Taelor Scott, and Sydni Scott; along with beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, former students, neighbors, church family, and dear friends.

Jackie Scott stood barely five feet tall, but she was a giant. She leaves behind generations of people who love better because they were loved by Jackie Scott.

A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 1:00pm at Christian Faith Baptist Church, 509 Hilltop Drive, Raleigh, with burial to follow in Raleigh Memorial Park. The family will receive visitors one hour prior to the service, beginning at 1:00pm, as well as Monday, July 20, 2026 from 5:30 - 7:30pm at Mitchell Funeral Home in Raleigh.

In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials in Jackie's name to the Raleigh Rescue Mission, or to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, by using the links below, under 'Donations'.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Jackie, or a message of condolence for her family, you may do so below, within 'Add a Memory'.