She is preceded in death by her loving husband William M. Jackson; brother, Donald Dutton; daughters, Terri Marie Jackson and Karen Leigh Jackson Kirtley; grandson Shawn Michael Graf; and great-grandson, Christian Lewis.
She leaves behind to cherish and celebrate her life a sister, Sue Myrick; her children, William A. Jackson (Joyce), Joel W. Jackson, Mark A. Jackson (Dawn), Cindy Graf (John), Fred Kirtley; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and 1 great-great grandchild.
Marilyn was born in Gadsden, Alabama to Sylvia and John Dutton. She was particularly proud of her Cherokee heritage and the teachings of her father to appreciate the everyday simple gifts life gives to us. She was a proud member of the Lady Shriners Apet Shrine Guild and was past High Priestess of Egypt Court 76. She made life-long friendships with this group and she treasured the years of service spent with them in working to make the community a better place in which to live.
Marilyn dedicated her life to her children and family and was known as a surrogate mother to many of the neighborhood children. She loved dancing, singing, sewing, all things Native American, traveling, and creating memories filled with laughter for all who knew and loved her. The last years of her life due to dementia, Marilyn’s memories faded; however, those memories were not lost, but rather passed down through many generations that follow her and there they linger still in the minds and hearts of those she leaves behind, bringing a smile with each story associated with them.
The Funeral Service will be Thursday, July 2, 2020 at 10am at Evergreen Funeral Home with visitation on Wednesday from 2-8pm at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Shriners’ Children Hospital www.shrinershosptialsforchildren.org/shc/donate
