Henry Jackson

Funeral services for Henry Jackson, 87, of Gilmer, Texas, will be held at 12:00 pm, Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Redemption Worship Center with Pastor Gabriel A. Griffin, Sr. officiating. Interment to follow at Zion Hill Cemetery. The family will receive family and friends 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Friday, May 16th at McWhorter Funeral Home. Henry Jackson was born May 23, 1937, in Marksville, Louisiana. He was the fifth child of Rogers and Lee Elder Williams Jackson. He passed from this life on May 7, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. Henry, who was the youngest of his siblings, grew up in Algiers, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. At an early age, he accepted Christ as his Savior and was baptized into the fellowship of Greater Providence Baptist Church of Algiers. He attended New Orleans public schools and earned his high school diploma from L. B. Landry High School in 1954. Nicknamed “Sweet Peas,” by his friends, Henry’s athletic prowess on the football field earned him “All-City” and “All-State” honors and scholarship offers from several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). After weighing his options, he decided to leave his beloved “N’awlins” and head to Texas. In the fall of 1954, Henry enrolled as a student-athlete at Texas College in Tyler, Texas. There, “Sweet Peas” continued to shine both on and off the field. His talents as both an offensive and defensive end earned him small college “All-America” and All-SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) honors. Additionally, he lettered in basketball and was initiated into the Sigma Omicron Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in 1955. Following his passion for coaching and teaching, Henry received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with a minor in General Science. After graduating, Henry was presented with an opportunity to play football professionally; however, he elected to serve his country during wartime and enlisted in the United States Army. Following basic training, he was assigned to “Special Armed Services,” in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where in 1960, Private First Class (E-3) Henry Jackson was awarded the Good Conduct Medal for exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity. In 1961, he was honorably discharged from the military upon completion of his tour of duty. That same year, Henry returned to Texas to marry his college sweetheart, Shirley Faye Hargest Jackson and begin his teaching/coaching career at Ralph J. Bunche High School in Crockett, Texas. After serving for eight years at Bunche, Henry went to work at Emmett J. Scott High School in Tyler, Texas. Then, when schools integrated, and Emmett Scott High School closed, Henry was assigned to work at Robert E. Lee High School (now Texas Legacy High School) in Tyler, Texas. During this time, Henry and Shirley celebrated the birth of their first child, Karen, which fueled his desire to work a little closer to his home. So, when the opportunity to teach PE and coach in Gilmer presented itself, Henry became a Gilmer Buckeye. He and Shirley welcomed their second child, Henry Kendall, and Henry enrolled in graduate school at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. There, he earned his master’s degree in education and his principal certification. Subsequently, he served as an assistant principal at the junior high and high school campuses, respectively, and coached his junior high Buckeye teams to numerous championships while working as a position coach with the high school teams. The only person who could coax Henry away from Gilmer was his best friend and coaching buddy, Ed Kendall, who’d become the superintendent at Pittsburg ISD. In Pittsburg, Henry initially served as the high school principal and years later, concluded his 40+ year career in education by teaching students how to pass the math portion of the state-mandated exams. When Henry was not teaching and coaching, he was working in the community and in his church, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, where he was ordained as a deacon in 1979. Over the years, he served as the church treasurer, Men’s class Sunday School teacher, and layman’s ministry chairman. He was on the board of the Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative (URECC), president of Eta Chi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and chairman of the Northeast Texas Layman’s Movement. Henry was preceded in death by his parents, Rogers and Lee Elder Jackson, brothers Joseph (Delores) and Rogers (Rebia), and sister Emma Jackson Thompson (Perry). Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Shirley Jackson; daughter, Dr. Karen Jackson Bradberry; son, Coach Henry Kendall Jackson (Shovette); sister, Elizabeth Jackson Baldwin (Benjamin); grandchildren, Coach Ryan Bradberry (Morgan), China, Kendall Jakarius, and Keegan Henry; great-grandchildren, Phoenix, Raedyn, Arie, Kaison and Royalty; and many nieces, nephews, and other family members. Please visit Henry’s online registration book at www.mcwhorterfh.com to leave a memory for the family.

Henry Jackson

May 23, 1937 - May 7, 2025