Remembering Jackie Jackson – a Red Hook icon by Nathan Weiser

The celebration of life for Jacqueline Jackson, who lived from May 7, 1953 to August 16, 2023 took place at an event space upstairs in the Tesla building on Van Brunt Street. Her many friends and family came to remember her.

There was food, a DJ played music she enjoyed, there was a slide show with pictures of her later on and space for people to reminisce and share stories.

She lived her entire life in Red Hook and had a positive impact on many.

She liked upbeat disco music. The DJ at the event used to DJ with Jackie’s brother around the city and upstate.

Maxine Jackson is Jackie’s middle daughter. When Jackie left Brooklyn to have her treatments she stayed with Maxine in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jackie raised Maxine and her two sisters on her own. She moved to Atlanta when she was 20.

“Growing up with my mom, it was just her,” Jackson said. “She raised us. She was strong, independent and hard working.”

She described her mother as the mayor of Brooklyn because everyone knew her.

Maxine’s mother was all about community. Her mother and father, Della and Clifford, were responsible for getting the PAL Miccio Center started. Della was the Project Director. They were huge community people just like her mother.

Maxine came up in and was involved in many activities at the Miccio though her mother.

“I was helping her put on talent shows and tournaments,” Maxine Jackson said. “I was a choreographer for dance so from age four to 18, I was doing dance routines. We would go to all the other community centers throughout the boroughs and compete.”

Maxine remembers how her mother and her brother used to interact.

“He has passed but they are hanging out now,” Jackson said. “Those two, their sense of humor was something to experience. They cracked jokes all the time. My mom, she was the life of the party.”

“Back when crack hit the community and it was big, she would take in peoples kids and feed them,” Jackson said of her mother. “She would look out for other peoples kids. She did a lot.”

A lot of people who moved away stayed in contact with Jackson. Maxine said many people who moved out of state came to the celebration of life.

Timothy Edwards, who is 60, was Jackie’s godson and he knew her since he was a little kid. She was one of his mother’s best friends. He was at the event with his brother.

Jackie use to take him to parks and often used to baby sit him. He remembers her since he was four years old and she had a big impact on him.

“I remember her at a few birthday parties, like my oldest brother’s birthday party,” Edwards said. “I remember her talking with my grandparents because my grandparents used to come over frequently. I always remember her being there.”

Jackie was one of Edwards’s two godmothers. He reflected on the loss.

“We lost our mother two years ago. That was hard and this is hard too because it is like once you get to a certain age you are going to start seeing your elders start to pass away and there is nothing you can do. Jackie was loved very much.”

He added that Jackie was like one of his aunts. She had such a positive impact that her face will be etched in his mind forever.

“She was important,” Edwards said. “She was real instrumental in us growing up. She could have been mean to us or a crazy lady but she was not.”

He fondly remembers seeing Jackie when he would come back to Red Hook for Old Timers’ Day. It would be at Coffey Park and the Red Hook Pool.

“We would always see Jackie and see her daughters,” Edwards said. “The last time I saw her and her daughters together they had a bunch of friends with her and I took a picture of them. After that I spoke to her maybe once on the Internet.”

The last Old Timers’ Day that Edwards remembers going to and seeing Jackie was the one before the pandemic.

He now lives in The Bronx. He got the information earlier in the day about the memorial and added that he had no choice but to come to the event.

“The example that our parents and people like Jackie showed us was to work and go to school,” Edwards said. “Go to school and then once you learn enough to be able to choose something that you like to do then you go after that and you learn that but you always keep an open mind to learn other things.”

Maxine reminsced about her trips to the back in Red Hook, to the Promenade in Brooklyn Heights and various parks to play. They would also go to parks and museums.

She remembered her cooking for her and her sisters often growing up. It was a special occasion when they would get fast food.

“I know now McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants are no big deal to these kids, but when I grew up my mother cooked all the time, so when she would say we could go to McDonald’s, it was like Christmas for us,” Maxine said. “When we went to McDonald’s or Wendy’s, that was a real treat.”

They would go to the McDonald’s on Hamilton close to the canal. They would also go to Atlantic Avenue, to 5th Avenue and to a favorite pizza spot on 7th Avenue.

Maxine moved to Atlanta back in 1995 when she was 20 after growing up in Red Hook. She thinks Atlanta is more laid back loves the scenery.

Jackie was down there for her last eight months when she started getting treatment for her illness. Maxine said she loved being down in Atlanta. There is greenery where Maxine lives and her mom loved being on the patio.

“They told us she pretty much had about a year to live give or take,” Maxine said. “My goal was to get her there and just kind of reset and wrap her mind around what was to come.”

Jackie enjoyed the nature when she was down in Atlanta with Maxine.

“I have this bird feeder and she would sit there and watch all the different birds come to the bird feeder,” Maxine said. “It’s National Geographic on my patio. Even the frogs from the creek come upstairs and are in the flower bed.”

Tasha Hill is Maxine’s niece. Her father and Maxine were brother and sister, and Hill knew Maxine her entire life.

She has many memories of her from family functions growing up and remembers her being active, outgoing and telling stories.

“She would come to our barbecues all the time,” Hill said. “My father always barbecued. She joked around like my father. She was the best aunt ever. She was very nice and friendly.”

Hill grew up in Far Rockaway. She has pictures from some of the family barbecues that they would have. Hill remembers that Maxine did not like being on the train when it crossed over the bridge to get to Rockaway.

“If she got a ride she would come on out and visit,” Hill said. “We had a great time with her, she was very nice.”

Besides the family barbecues, Jackie would come to birthday parties in Far Rockaway and other family events. She remembers her liking to dance and listen to music.

Hill, who lives in New Jersey now, remembers going to Red Hook sometimes. She added that Jackie was a great cook and that her meatloaf was really good.

“We came and saw her a few years ago,” Hill said. “I went to the house and visited her. She came to the hospital each time I had my children. My children were born in Brooklyn, so she would come visit.”

Hill remembers her being warmhearted and kind.

“She was very nice,” Hill said. “She cared about everybody. If you needed something, you could just pick up the phone and call. She gave good advice on everything.”