Jean Pickering

Sara Jeannetta “Jean/Jeannie/Jeannetta” Pickering, age 71,daughter of the late Richard and Rosene Manley, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 30, 2021. Jean was born on April 24, 1950, and grew up in Port Lavaca, Texas. She spent her childhood playing with her sisters, Debi and Lori, and cousins, and putting Cokes and snacks on her daddy’s tab at the Port Lavaca Country Club. After graduating from high school, Jean graduated from college with a teaching degree and spent more than 40 years impacting the lives of children as a teacher, librarian, counselor, and principal. Jean was a constant learner, earning masters’ degrees in Counseling and Library Science and a professional certification in Educational Leadership. She built her own school, Capstone Classical Academy, with her business partner Marlene Thomas, and spent over 10 years educating kids that found it difficult to be successful in the large public school environment. Many kids who may not have graduated at all passed through the Capstone halls and began successful careers because Jean was there to help them become successful. And in a final act of amazing kindness, Jean opened a preschool in her home for Elijah, her youngest grandson, during COVID, and did an amazing job preparing him for school.

Jean was an incredible mother. She raised two children, Kim and Jason, and oftentimes to them felt like a stay-at-home mom, even though she was a teacher, because she was always there for them, whether it be helping with homework or being there for the evenings and weekends and summers. She trained her kids to never give up, work hard, and always have a positive attitude. She loved her kids beyond measure and she found her purpose in her children, and then eventually, her grandchildren.

Jean made the most of every moment as she got older. She got a cancer diagnosis with a prognosis of 2-5 years and busted through that by finding purpose and living and loving for 6 more years. Jean is a published author, and her son Jason is proud to be the subject of her Amazon best-selling book, Living in a House of Mirrors: Raising an ADHD Child. She also helped raise her three youngest grandchildren, Caleb, Jayden, and Eli, and they will grow into the men they are meant to become as a result of her, even though her time with them was cut short. She fought to the death for the right to be with all of her grandchildren and they all knew how much they meant to her.

Jean is survived by her daughter, Kim Hightower and daughter-in-law Catalina Herrera and son Jason Pickering and daughter-in-law Tracey Pickering. Jean has 8 beautiful grandchildren, all BOYS!: Drew, Bailey, Matthew, Greyson, Caleb, Jayden, Kerrington, and Elijah, all of who drove her purpose. She is also survived by sisters Lori Francis and Debi Carroll, brother-in-law TJ Carrolll, and nieces Megan Allen and Cori Edison.