Lucille Adell Jackson

Lucille Jackson, 92, of Paragould, died peacefully at St. Bernard's Healthcare in Jonesboro on October 31st after a month-long battle with aggressive lymphoma.

Born on November 22, 1926, Lucille proved to be a hard worker all of her life. She married Leo Jackson in 1944 when she was 17. She moved from Rector to the farm, which she later named Bonnie View. On the farm, she raised cattle, pigs, and chickens, but in the last several years, she raised only cattle. Always, Lucille grew a garden, even this past summer, and canned. For her canning skills during the 1950's, she brought home several ribbons from the Greene County Fair.

Also during the 1950's, Lucille was elected as the first female Justice of the Peace to serve on the Greene County Quorum Court. She served for several terms, voting for the county landfill during her last term. Also she was a census taker in the county two different times.

In the 1960's, Lucille sold Avon door to door, often filling her truck bed with surplus vegetables from her garden to share with her customers. During this decade she also found her lifelong profession: nursing. She became an LPN and worked at Community Methodist Hospital (now AMMC). When she learned that ASU had begun a two-year RN degree program, she enrolled in the second class to be held on the Jonesboro campus and graduated in 1971, one year after being widowed. Soon, she became night supervisor at Community Methodist Hospital and worked at Greene Acres Nursing Home as the only RN.

In 1975 Lucille stayed in Little Rock on weekdays for APRN training, a little known program at this time. Then she became the Director of Nurses at the Home for the Golden Years (now Belle Meade). In 1988 Lucille retired from nursing, only to return to it in the 1990's as a part-time nurse at AMMC. She retired from nursing again at the age of 77 in 2003.

This busy lady always kept her roles as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother the central focus of her life. She loved her family and provided a strong Christian example for all of them. As the years went by, Lucille became more and more committed to studying the Bible and to church work at Camp Ground Methodist Church where she had been a member since 1944. Lucille's door was always open, and she always made room at the table for any visitors. She enjoyed cooking and trying out new recipes. Even last Thanksgiving, she insisted on baking the turkey, baking the ham, and making the dressing. With an ever-growing family, she aimed to provide memorable holiday meals. Always thrifty, she clipped coupons and watched for sales at the grocery stores to make the food dollars stretch further.

Preceding Lucille in death were her husband Leo, her parents Albert and Lillian Wikowsky, and her siblings- Edwin Wikowsky, Alberta Aronson, Kathryn Taylor, and Albert Wikowsky, Jr.

Surviving Lucille are her children, Leola Atchison, Jerry and Lillian White, and John and Lee Carole Poe, all of Paragould, and Lonnie and Theresa Jackson, of Batesville. Other survivors include her grandchildren: William (Rowdy) and Harmony Fortson, Jared and Cecily White, Jacob White, Daniel and Angela King, Savanna Hailey, Jackson (currently in South Korea) and Holly Hailey, Leo and Mary Beth Jackson, all of Paragould, and John Tyler Poe of North Pole, Alaska. Grandchildren in Batesville include Jeremy and Rachel Mathews, Andre and Amanda Mathews, Cody Mathews, and Johnny Cartwright. Also surviving Lucille are her brother-in-law, Darrell Taylor, Sr., her sister-in-law, Fayetta Wikowsky, and 19 great-grandchildren.

At Heath Funeral Home, visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 5, from 6:00-8:00 pm. Her funeral will be held in the Heath Funeral Home chapel on Wednesday, November 6, at 11:00 am with Eddie Harris, Everett Isom and Willam Fortson officiating. Burial will be in Greene County Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers include Jared White, Jerry White, Jacob White, John Poe, Leo Jackson, Daniel King, Cody Mathews, and Andre Mathews. Honorary pallbearers are Willam Fortson, John Tyler Poe, Jackson Hailey, and Jeremy Mathews.

The family would appreciate memorials made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Arkansas Children's Hospital. Online guestbook: www.heathfuneralhome.com