Inez Florene Jackson

Inez was born on May 24, 1929, to Merl Nelson Ervin and Idah Florence Gallentine Ervin in a cement house 3/4 of a mile east of the Maple Grove Cemetery in Norton Co. Kansas. She grew up northeast of Norcatur with her parents and younger brother John Ervin. She remained a lifelong resident of the Norcatur community. She passed away in her home on March 30, 2025.
She attended elementary school at Ward School, District #74, and later transitioned to Norcatur Rural High School. She was taught piano by her grade school teacher Ruby Chambers (Strayer) who was very instrumental in her life, and went on to play for the chorus in NRHS. Her senior year, she was courted by Forrest Duane Jackson. After her graduation in 1947, she attended Central Business College in Denver, CO for nine months. Shortly after her return, they married in the Maple Grove Church of the Brethren parsonage on March 19, 1948. They honeymooned in Grand Island, NE, and moved into the farmhouse that was built by Forrest's grandfather Andrew Jackson Wertenberger in 1906, where she lived for the next 77 years. Inez and Forrest had 3 children Iris, Dewayne, and Debra. They remained married for 62 years until Forrest entered his heavenly home on December 18, 2010.
Life on the farm meant milking cows, driving the trucks, canning and freezing produce, and making many harvest lunches featuring the best lemonade the crew members had tasted. She helped Forrest with custodial work at the Norcatur School for 15 years until the school closed. She had a sincere love of sewing and baking. The house was filled with the hum of sewing creations and repairs paired with warm smells of rolls, chocolate cake, or brownies. Music was a true passion. She loved to play the organ with her friend Goldie Brewer who played the piano. She enjoyed playing the piano and organ, and played them for Maple Grove for decades until her eyesight diminished. Her love of music continued beyond her sight as she always enjoyed listening to her CD's and albums. Her greatest love, however, was her family. She loved them deeply and prayed for each one of her big family daily.
Inez's journey of faith began after marrying Forrest. At Maple Grove she learned about Jesus. It was in her later years as she had time to listen to Christian radio that she came to a deep personal relationship with Jesus. Her faith really blossomed when Dewayne began reading through the entire Bible aloud yearly. Dewayne had begun the fourth year of reading through the Bible to Mom. They spent many hours discussing the Scriptures. It was her faith in Jesus that gave her the courage to face life as her world became dimmer and dimmer due to macular degeneration. Her faith also gave her a much more light hearted view of life as she faced so many challenges.
She is preceded by parents Merl Ervin and Idah Gallentine Ervin, brother John (Leone) Ervin, husband Forrest Jackson, brother-in-law Marvin (Doris Fae) Jackson, sisters-in-law Esther and Ruth Jackson and great-grandson Bobby Jackson. She is survived by her three children: Iris (Mac) Bergen, Dewayne (Aurelia) Jackson, Debra (Troy) Marshall, 9 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the Oberlin Covenant Church. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Burial will be in the Norcatur Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made out to Oberlin Covenant Church or Todd Becker Foundation. Condolences can be left at www.plumergobber.com.