Joseph Jay Jackson

Services for Joseph (Joe) Jackson will be held Saturday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m. Joseph Jay Jackson was born Sept. 3, 1970 in Durant, OK, the first child of William (Butch) Jackson and Anna Judene (Judy) Jackson, and a member of the Choctaw tribe. He died unexpectedly in Okmulgee, OK on Nov. 3, 2011, at the age of 41 years, 2 months. He is preceded in death by his grandparents and survived by his wife, Kirsten Stensaas-Jackson; his three children, Josiah Quinn Jackson, Anya Elizabeth Jackson and Lydia Colleen Jackson; his parents; and his brother, Jon Mark Jackson. Joe grew up in Mead, Oklahoma near the beautiful Lake Texoma. He attended Silo schools and then graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) in Durant, where he earned a B.A. in history and met his wife, Kirsten. They were married July 31, 1993 at Crossroads Baptist Church. Kirsten and Joe attended Victory Life Family Center where they helped with the youth group. Feb. 2, 1999 Joe and Kirsten had their first child, Josiah, and soon moved to Okmulgee, OK where Joe worked at the Okmulgee County Department of Human Services/Adult Protective Services. He also worked at the Tulsa City-County Health Department on the SWAT (Students Workers Against Tobacco) program, as director of the Okmulgee County Homeless Shelter, INC, and for Beggs Independent School District as a Title 7 Indian Education Tutor. Joe also served as Case Manager/Career Counselor at Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee and later as manager for Custodial/Environmental Safety Services. Nov. 16, 2001 Joe and Kirsten welcomed their second child, Anya, and Nov. 23, 2003, Lydia joined the family. For almost four years Joe worked as a Coordinator for First Time Offender Program, One Eighty Program/Outreach Life Skills teacher and mentor as well as a Life Skills Coach for Anne Moroney Youth Services (Okmulgee-Okfuskee County Youth Services, Inc. ). Joe’s work with teenagers was a calling to him, but his passion was making a paradise for his family on a little farm outside Okmulgee. He created and built special spaces for their many animals and pets, landscaped paths through the one-acre woods, and made one-of-a-kind playthings for his children. All who knew Joe are welcome to celebrate his life at a memorial service at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 12 at that same little farm located at 12410 N. 210 Road, Okmulgee. The short service, outdoors and under the trees, will include prayer and a time to share memories of Joe. Guests are invited to wear casual clothes and shoes for taking a memorial walk through his woods. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts will be accepted by Shurden-Jackson Funeral Home for an OSU scholarship to be awarded to an Okmulgee County Alternative Academy student, or gifts may be made directly to support the family through this transition via PayPal to kirsten.jackson@yahoo.com. Services are under the direction of Shurden-Jackson Funeral Home in Okmulgee, OK.