Obituary of Linda Dee Jacks

Linda Dee Jacks passed through the gates of Heaven on April 18, 2023, at the age of 81 years young.  She passed away peacefully at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, following a brief battle with metastatic cancer. 

Linda was born and rasied in Northern Indiana.  She was a college graduate of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.  After graduating, Linda taught mathematics for a short period of time before she met and married the love of her life, Vernon C. Jacks (d. 1993) in 1964.  In 1970, Linda and Vernon adopted a little girl (Kerri B.) and began creating years of memories with adventures all of the United States on family vacations.  

After the adoption, Linda became a stay-at-home mom for their daughter, while Vernon worked serving in several capacities with the Chicago-SouthShore Railroad, retiring in 1991 as the Chief Dispatcher.  Shortly thereafter, the family relocated to Southern Arizona, for reasons of Vernon's health, and eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona.

On April 20, 1993, Linda became a widow while on a trip home to Indiana, when Vernon fell ill and passed away.

She remained a resident of Arizona after Vernon's death.  In 1993, she became a mother-in-law, accepting Kerri's soon-to-be-husband's request for permission to marry her daughter, with the stipulation that he understood there were "no refunds and no exchanges". 

She went on to create a new life for herself, going back to school and eventually becoming employed with DM Federal Credit Union (Vantage West Credit Union) first as a branch teller and then promoted into the main office as a loan officer, the position from which she retired in 2004 to become a full-time Grandma to her then four-year-old granddaughter, Morgan. In 2006, Linda became a grandmother for a second time with the birth of her grandson, Matthew.

Throughout the 32 years that she lived in Southern Arizona, Linda enjoyed a plethroa of activities, including swimming, pickle ball, line dancing, exploring Mt. Lemmon, family gatherings for holidays and birthdays, fourth of July in the park (Sierra Vista) and probably, most of all, vacationing with her grandchildern at the happiest place on earth:  Disneyland.  They last enjoyed Disneyland during the Christmas season of 2021 and enjoyed every moment of it.  

Linda is survivied by her daughter, Kerri (Micheal), her granddaughter Morgan, her grandson Matthew, her stepdaughter Diane, her sister Leslee (Don), her brother James (Laura) and other extended family members.  She was proceeded in death by her husband Vernon, her younger brother John (Sandy), her parents, John and Bessie Fickle, and both her paternal and maternal grandparents.

Linda was a complex individual, but moreover, she was a caring and loving person from whom we can all take solace that she is now in a better place, with Vernon at her side, carefully and dilligently watching over us all, as we navigate our future without her.