Queen Esther Mace Jackson was born October 25, 1921 in Learned, Mississippi to George and Esther Mace. When Esther’s father, Ralph Lowe, saw this little baby, he looked at her round brown face and curious searching eyes and said to his daughter we must call this one Queen Esther, like the Queen Esther of the Bible who said, “if I perish, I perish, but I am going to see the King.” Her grandfather saw something in that face and those eyes.  And so it has come to pass, Queen Esther has been a force of nature, a fountain of strength and a reservoir of determination and courage for 92 years. 

 

Queen Esther wanted to be like her mother so she learned how to cook and sew and make beautiful things. Her sisters remember her even as a young girl making gifts, a dress out of old sackcloth, a pair of shoes out of discarded material and proudly presenting them. She also loved the great outdoors and learned how to grow things, hunt, fish, kill snakes, climb trees and feed and take care of the farm animals with her father and brothers.  

 

Queen Esther was the first in her family to go to college.  She began her educational journey at Southern Christian Institute in Edwards, Mississippi where she received a degree in home economics.  It was there that she met Clyde Cullen Jackson, Big Jack, as he was affectionately called.  They continued their educational journey at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas.  They married December 26, 1948 in a service officiated by the Jarvis Christian College Chaplain, Rev. Jesse Hawkins.

 

Her career as an educator began in Jasper County, Mississippi where she served as a teacher and basketball coach before moving with her young family to Sunflower County.  She continued to serve as teacher, librarian and social worker to many students and families in north-central Sunflower County for nearly 30 years.

 

She and her husband raised their family in the Indianola, Mississippi.  She was active in civic organizations, the local garden clubs and took great pride in her annual vegetable crops.   After retirement from the Sunflower County school system she and her husband relocated to Hinds County Mississippi where she enjoyed being close to her family.  She was a wonderful example of quiet strength, unyielding determination and caring service to others.  She leaves her family with a legacy of faithfulness and commitment.