Betty Sue Jackson

On January 18, 2026, surrounded by her loving family, our Lord and Savior called Betty Sue Jones Jackson home. At 91 years old, she was a loving Christian, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, great, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend.

The ninth of twelve children (6 brothers and 5 sisters), Betty was born in Chancellor, Alabama, on February 2, 1934, to Stiner Hudson and Vera T. Austin Jones.

Betty graduated from Coffee Springs High School in 1952. On May 29, 1953, she married the love of her life, Willie Mack Jackson. They moved to Tallahassee, Florida, where they both attended Florida State University and where she received a bachelor's degree in education. In 1959, along with their first-born daughter, they moved to Crestview, Florida.

Betty received a master's degree from the University of West Florida in 1974. Her love for children was evident throughout the three decades she taught at Carver Hill Kindergarten and Bob Sikes Elementary School. She retired from Okaloosa County Schools in 1990. Still, she continued through life with the heart of a teacher; to walk with her in the forest was to experience a lesson in the names of trees and plants.

Betty enjoyed traveling and had the privilege to travel throughout the United States as well as several foreign countries. Perhaps her most significant trip was to the Holy Land, where she followed in Jesus' footsteps. Not only did she see where Jesus was born and the grave from which he miraculously arose, she was also baptized in the River Jordan.

Betty was the epitome of a child of God and true southern belle. She faithfully read Bible stories to her children and grandchildren, taught them to love Jesus, and shuttled them to church every Sunday. Her selflessness and kindness were extraordinary. She allowed no one who visited her to go hungry. Her biscuits, banana pudding, and chicken & dumplings were sought-after products of her southern heritage. She wanted everyone to feel significant and loved.

She was a long-time member of First Methodist Church of Crestview, until she moved to Tallahassee, Florida, in 2013.

Left to cherish her memory and continue her legacy are her two daughters and four grandchildren: daughter Donna Howard (Don), their son Christopher Howard (Andrea,) and their daughter Cameron Genrich (Dan); daughter Melease Jackson (Robert) her son Brentley Kilpatrick and their son Kelton Bass.

Betty was blessed with five great-grandchildren: Brooklyn Hancock (Cody); Ethan Howard and Allie Howard; Adalyn Kilpatrick and Easton Kilpatrick; and her great, great-granddaughter Ryah Hancock.

Betty's surviving siblings are sister Augathee Helms and brother Ned Jones (Glenda) She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Over 20 years ago, her husband of over 50 years, Willie Mack, preceded her arrival in heaven. Five of her brothers and 4 of her sisters also preceded her. She will also be reunited with her infant grandson, Willie Persing Howard, whom God accepted into his loving arms in 1971.

On Betty's behalf, the family thanks the world-class care partners at Allegro Assisted Living and the Villas of Killearn Lakes in Tallahassee. She also had several extraordinary private sitters during the last few years who treated her like she was their own mother. May God bless Jeanette, Sabrina, Tabatha, Tashara, Anisa, Nana, Myshia and Ethel.

To the world she was our mother (grandmother or great-grandmother) but to us she WAS THE WORLD! She had a good life. It's a great loss but a love we will always cherish and remember.

Visitation with the family is Saturday, January 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. at First Methodist Church of Crestview, 599 8th Avenue, Crestview, Florida. A celebration of life will promptly follow, and, thereafter, a graveside service will be held at Live Oak Memorial Park Cemetery, 112 North Avenue East, Crestview, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations in Betty's memory to the "Methodist Children's Home" (mch.org), "Cure Alzheimer's Fund" (curealz.org), or "Crestview Pregnancy Center" (crestviewpregnancycenter.org).

Arrangements are entrusted to Whitehurst Powell Funeral Home in Crestview. Guest book and condolences are available online at www.whitehurstpowellfuneralhome.com