Otis Lee Jackson, Sr.

Otis Lee Jackson Sr. was born on December 28, 1921 in Wrightsville, Georgia. He was the second of four children born to Buelah & Sammy Jackson.

Mr. Jackson learned the value of hard work at an early age. He left elementary school to help his parents, who were sharecroppers, on the farm. In search of more job opportunities and a better life, Mr. Jackson moved to Harlem, New York in the 1940s where he met and married the love of his life, Etta Mae Sparks. Together they raised three children, Curtis, Otis Jr. & Evelyn. While their children were still school aged, Mr. & Mrs. Jackson moved their family to a beautiful home in the suburbs of NYC (Westbury, Long Island). They lived there until their children became adults and began families of their own.

Mr. Jackson was a member of the Rod & Gun Club of Westbury, Long Island. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. His hunting grounds were Long Island, New York and Deposit, New York (Catskill mountain range). He built a hunting cabin there where he caught deer, wild game and fish which became dinner on many evenings.

As empty nesters, Otis and Etta moved from Westbury to Hempstead, Long Island where they lived until he retired from Main Steel in the Bronx. Mr. Jackson was also a Free Mason. He was a member of the Schriner’s Medina House #7 in Queens, New York where he received his 32nd degree. He later joined the King Charles House #42, Genesis Consistory and the Royal Arch House.

Upon retirement, Mr. Jackson & his wife sold their home in Hempstead, New York and moved to Deposit, New York where he expanded his small hunting cabin to a large family home on 33 acres of land. They lived there until Etta Mae’s health began to decline. They moved to Florida for a short period of time before moving to their final home in the Villages of West Neck in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Mr. Jackson’s devotion to his wife during her illness was exemplary.

Mr. Jackson loved driving his Cadillac to the grocery or to visit family and friends. He remained and lived independently through his 103rd birthday. If you visited him on any given day, you’d find him watching a baseball game (the Mets), listening to jazz late into the night or watching MSNBC while snacking on peanuts and sipping beer or his favorite red wine. If you wanted to make his day, bring in his favorite meal from Red Lobster. Few things would illicit the type of smile you’d get while he dug in! He loved people and shared his wisdom and philosophy of life to anyone who listened. He was an advisor and confidant to his family and friends. He was sharp as a tack and had a great sense of humor. As the Jackon family patriarch, he lived to become their first centenarian.

After a brief illness, Mr. Jackson departed this life on Thursday, July 10, 2025 in Virgina Beach, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his mother (Buelah), father (Sammy), sister (Lather) and brothers (Weldon and Mack). He leaves to carry on his legacy, his three children, Curtis Sr. (Carole), Otis, Jr. (Thelma) and Evelyn, nine grandchildren (Renee, Monique, Keesha (Oral), Tamika, Robin (Richard), Karla, Curtis Jr., Jason, Barrington), eight great grandchildren, nine great, great grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews. He will be truly missed.