August 30, 2011

Evelyn Juanita (Horton) Jackson died on Aug. 30, 2011, at her home in Seattle.

She was born in Suffolk, Va., on June 21, 1921. A 1941 graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Va., she began her career in music and education with positions in North Carolina and Georgia. During the war, she attended graduate school at Columbia University. In 1942, Evelyn married Robert Ellis Jackson, and the couple made their home in Suffolk. She taught at East Suffolk High School, directing award-winning choirs, and he practiced law. Evelyn was baptized at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, where she served as organist from an early age. She and Robert were very active in Suffolk’s professional, civic and social life. In 1962, Robert accepted a position with the State of Washington and they moved to Richland, Wash. Evelyn continued her career in music education in the public schools there, and she was also busy as an organist and pianist. In 1966, the family moved to Seattle, where Robert worked in the State Department of Employment Security, retiring as administrative law judge, and Evelyn taught in the public schools, retiring in 1986. Her beloved Robert preceded her in death in June 2009.

She is survived by her daughter, Princess N. Jackson-Smith; her son, Robert Ellis Jackson Jr.; her sister, Alma Hutchinson; nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and -nephews. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, located at 19th and Madison in Seattle.