Paulette Evadne Jackson

Paulette Evadne Jackson died at the home of her sister in Florida after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 55 years old. Paulette is preceded in death by her parents, Lestin Roy Jackson and Olive May Jackson. She is survived by her son and daughter in law Johann and Julia Lee, as well as her five grand-children. She is also survived by 14 siblings, aunts, uncles and many other relatives and friends. She started her youthful education at Miss Franklin Kindergarten on Hart Street in Montego Bay, St. James. Her primary education was completed at Anchovy Primary School, also in St. James where Paulette graduated in 1975. She then attended high school at the West Wood High School for Girls in the parish of Trelawny. She graduated from this boarding school in 1980. It was there that she made many life-long friends. From a young age, Paulette was always filled with laughter and friendship. She made many new friends as she grew up, but held on to friendships for decades – over 40 years in some cases. She treasured the people around her, and often told stories of them. If you knew Paulette, you knew her network of friends. In fact, many of us knew Paulette’s friends and family second hand because she talked of them so much. Her education continued at Jamaica Commercial where she undertook secretarial studies, including shorthand and typing. After the birth of her son, Johann, Paulette resolved anew to complete her tertiary education, traveling to Barbados before settling in at West Indies College, where she achieved a bachelor’s degree in business. She then pursued her master’s degree in business at the Florida International University. Paulette started her career as a junior production clerk in her family’s antique reproduction business. She spent three years there before taking on accounting responsibilities at Westico Foods in 1995, Tweeties Fast Food the following year and finally Pioneer Chocolate as a Junior Accountant. Seeking more meaningful work, Paulette moved to the Ministry of Education in 1998 and spent the last 20 years of her life teaching and advising as the Financial Controller for the Western Region at the Ministry of Education. Paulette’s work was not separate from her day to day life and she developed many of her cherished friendships there. Her great loves remained Johann, her only child, her five grandchildren, her siblings and vast and widespread family that she often reached out to and with whom she remained in touch. Services in celebration of Paulette’s life will be held on March 11 at the First University Seventh Day Adventist Church in Tampa, Florida. Visitation is at 10am, with the service beginning at 11. She will be laid to rest at the Oakside Cemetery in Zephyrhills, Florida. Words of comfort may be expressed for Paulette‘s family by clicking “Share a Memory”.