Phyllis D. Jackson, longtime math teacher, church leader, and family matriarch, has died at 87
Both a teacher and a lifelong learner, if she wasn't teaching a class, she was usually attending one as a student.
Phyllis D. Jackson, 87, of Havertown, longtime math teacher at Bala Cynwyd Middle School and church leader at Overbrook Presbyterian Church, died Friday, March 17, of complications from a heart condition at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
Ms. Jackson was a lifelong learner as well as a popular teacher in Lower Merion, Philadelphia, Washington, and Virginia. She earned a master’s degree from Rosemont College in 1992 and attended graduate classes at the University of Virginia and Villanova and St. Joseph’s Universities.
Proficient with numbers and fascinated by languages, Ms. Jackson connected with students in seventh and eighth grades who were starting to appreciate math and culture. Retired since 1992, she had recently enrolled in online classes herself.
“She loved the classroom,” said her daughter, Beth Jackson Peele. “She wanted to mold young minds and her own.”
Ms. Jackson retired from Bala Cynwyd Middle School after decades of teaching and was often greeted warmly when former students came upon her around town. “They said they admired the support she gave them,” her daughter said.
She was a member of the Lower Merion Education Association, Pennsylvania State Education Association, and National Education Association. For years, her daughter observed as Ms. Jackson corrected, graded, and commented on assignment papers at home with a bright red pen.
“Watching her do that made me want to do better,” her daughter said.
At Overbrook Presbyterian Church. Ms. Jackson was a deacon and served on several committees. Later, she viewed services online.
Friends called her “an amazing woman” and “so kind and very special” in a Facebook tribute. “She was loved by all,” an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sister said.
Phyllis Ann Dent was born Jan. 30, 1936, in Roanoke, Va. She was named Miss Addison two years in a row at Lucy Addison High School, graduated in 1954, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1957. Energetic and drawn to groups, she decided to be a teacher and joined the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
She married John Wendell Jackson in 1966, and they moved to Wynnewood in search of opportunities. They had daughter Beth and son Steven, and she taught in the School District of Philadelphia for a time. Her husband died earlier, and she moved to Havertown.
Ms. Jackson preached discipline and accountability around her home as well as the classroom and was quick to speak her mind. “She had a strong personality,” her daughter said. “You paid attention or else you were going to get it.”
She watched mysteries and soccer on TV, had season tickets in the 1980s to the Villanova men’s basketball team, and put nearly everything aside every March when the college basketball tournament began.
The glue of her family, Ms. Jackson cooked for everybody, kept track of birthdays and holidays, and made monthly trips to the greeting-card store so she wouldn’t be late getting the cards into the mail. “Who will step into her huge shoes?” her daughter said. “I don’t know how she did it.”
She was an avid reader, a member of several book clubs, and interested in the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She enjoyed needlework and gardening, and was active with the Quilters of the Round Table in Philadelphia, Heartstring Quilters in Lower Merion, and African Violet Society of Springfield, Delaware County.
“She loved her family,” her daughter said. “She was so proud of her family.”
In addition to her children, Ms. Jackson is survived by two grandsons, a sister, and other relatives. A brother and sister died earlier.
Visitation with family is to be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 30, at Overbrook Presbyterian Church, 6376 City Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19151. A service is to follow at 11 a.m.
Donations in her name may be made to Overbrook Preschool and Kindergarten, 6376 City Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19151.