Barbara Jean Jackson Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

To Mama, Your life journey began on September 19, 1938 in a small township of South Carolina. It must have been rough to raise a family back then, due to the Recession of (1937-38), that followed this country’s Great Depression. Tough times means tough decisions are made, and the family coordinated a move to the northeast of Baltimore in search of a better future. City life from the country is not an easy transition; finding a place to live, work, and new friends can seem overwhelming. But you managed to handle various jobs and training challenges to assist the family with financial obligations. Along the way, you met people who would befriend you and render emotional support outside the family circle. One of those new friends would be another small town transplant from South Carolina named Bill Jackson. In God’s time, you and Bill would marry and make a family of your own with the arrival of your first son, Brian. Supporting a family of three on regular work wages was a daunting task. Few employers were willing to give a raise based on committed hard work; so Bill joined the Army at a time America was militarily involved in Vietnam. This decision to join the service would be the beginning of our family’s Global journey. Dad would end up serving two tours in Southeast Asia before returning to us. It would not be long before the family would be relocating to an Army base to live. Various army stations stateside and overseas would be a part of our new Army life. One of those stops was Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where an addition to the family was born: Bruce. Time in Germany you were able to travel to France, England, Holland, and Austria. Overseas had good times for sure, but you were more at home in the states next to your family in Baltimore. Dad would request orders for neighboring state Delaware where visits to Baltimore and family could be made frequently. No one knows for sure where our Life journey will end. The sons would follow dad in joining the military to have families of their own that moved around the world too. Mama you rarely talked about your life experience as a youth in South Carolina, but I can only now imagine the life challenges there. As I write and reflect upon your time with family, I know how blessed we were to have you in our lives and to call you Mama.

Barbara Jean Jackson

September 19, 1938 - August 8, 2021