Zaneta Vivian Jackson

Zaneta is survived by her mother Jennie Virginia Jackson and is preceded in death by her father Malcolm Odell Jackson Sr. She had no human children. However, she had four beloved dogs Goliath a Daschund (deceased), and three Pugs, Sally Marie (Deceased), Fred and Wilma.

Additional Family Members:

Grandparents: Dayton and Samantha Malone, of Monroeville, Alabama and Charles and Viola Jackson of Gordonsville, Virginia, all deceased.

Siblings: Malcolm Jackson Jr., Olga Jackson, and Samantha Jackson Weston (Owen).

Uncles, Aunts, Nieces, Nephews and Cousins: One nephew, Evan Weston and many uncles, aunts, cousins and dear friends.

Zaneta believed and knew with certainty that when she left this earth, she would be received into the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. She believes that she will live in eternity because Christ has died in her place and has saved her from the consequences of her sins. That knowledge gave her a courage to live her life boldly, unashamed, and grateful for every new experience she was able to have or bless another person with.

Zaneta loved exploring and using new spices she learned about and discovered in recipes from around the world. She was often found reading about, planning, cooking or baking new and different dishes and meals from other cultures. She and her Mom Jennie spent much time in the kitchen doing something new and exciting that they had never attempted before. Her first adventure in food exploration was creating a breakfast of green eggs and ham as a 1st or 2nd grade student.

She was a supporter and follower of current social health issues for the differently abled and challenged kids and adults. She aspired to write a book about methods for mobility and independence.

She followed local, state, national and international politics. She was openminded, but was a champion for those who were socially, economically, and mentally challenged. There was not much going on in mainstream media and communications that she hadn’t thought about, had a viewpoint on or opinion formed. She was an avid music listener and loved many types of music. Not many people could beat her in a game of musical trivia. She took piano lessons for hand dexterity exercise and personal enjoyment for several years. She was an avid follower of athletics and particularly liked following tennis, gymnastics, and ice skating as well as the summer and winter Olympics. Zaneta was an adventurer at heart and loved to drive and take road trips to places she had never been, eating in new restaurants she had never tried, and shopping in stores she had never seen before. Zaneta was the first woman most of us knew who proudly wore a nose ring and a tattoo, before tattoos were fashionable.

Zaneta was strong and courageous. She did not let her arthritis stop her, even though it was a mental and physical challenge for her. She would never say pity poor me, but she would dig in and set to conquering her challenges. Zaneta would often remind her family and friends that God has given each of us a life to live. This life she was living was the path that God put her on and she would live it out to honor God to the best of her ability. Using that strength, she would teach people how to conquer their own tasks even though things were difficult and challenging, but she ultimately helped them to understand that they could and would complete them. She helped people learn to refuse to let a challenge push them mentally into a corner. She supported them and taught them to look things in the eye and fight back. Knowing that some days are good, and some days are bad you still mentally challenge yourself. Always remembering that tomorrow is a new day, opportunity will come and you should be ready for it.

Zaneta was a great mentor and friend to her family and friends as well as their biggest advocate, supporter, and cheerleader. She was great company to all who spent time with her, was generous with her thoughts, time, and limited resources. She believed if something wasn’t working for you, you should try something new. She empowered family and friends to always be bold and courageous, not to be afraid of change and create new dreams in the realities that God had given them for where they were living right now. She always liked to use some little quip, phrase or humor to help people perk up when they were feeling down.

Work History: Zaneta attended the University of Arizona and Prescott College. Zaneta was employed and did social work for organizations like La Frontera, she also worked as a telephone operator and office worker at Pima Heart, she spent time helping people register for Medicare, and at the end of her working career she worked at Citibank doing credit fraud detection.

In honor of Zaneta Jackson, donations can be made to Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse via this link: https://emergecenter.org/

A visitation for Zaneta will be held Friday, March 18, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Funeraria del Angel South Lawn, 5401 South Park Ave, Tucson, AZ 85706.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.funerariadelangelSL.com for the Jackson family.