Marie Gladden Jackson, 95, of Saraland, Alabama passed away peacefully on September 1, 2024 at Saad’s Hospice Retreat facility in Mobile, Alabama. Services will be held Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Radney Funeral Home in Saraland, Alabama. Visitation will be held beginning at 10 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Celeste Road in Saraland, Alabama.
Marie was born on February 14, 1929, to William (Bill) Lafayette Gladden and Magdalene (Maggie) Wood Gladden in Alabama City, Alabama and was raised in the Tabor community on Lookout Mountain. Her mother Maggie always said that Marie was her most sweetest Valentine blessing, and she was ours as well. Following high school graduation, she visited her sister and brother who were living in Chickasaw, Alabama at the time, and during her visit she met a charming and wonderful young man, L.C. Jackson, who would later become her husband and the love of her life. Soon after her first visit, she decided to move to Chickasaw and she began working for the Department of Agriculture in the Federal building in downtown Mobile where she worked until the birth of her son Ronald Bradford. Marie and L.C. had a wonderful life full of love, joy, and sorrows, and they celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary before the death of L.C. in 2014.
Marie and L.C. were married on March 16, 1951, and soon after, moved to their new home in Saraland, Alabama where they were some of the original hundred or so residences in the area before Saraland became a city a few years later. Marie and L.C. were active in the Saraland community and were dedicated members of the Saraland First Assembly of God church. Marie was blessed with relatively excellent health until a few months prior to her death. She loved to spend time with her family and her greatest joy was being a mother and grandmother. She never missed an occasion to brag to anyone who would listen about her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. In her younger years she enjoyed water skiing and spending time at Gulf Shores, visiting her friends and family on Lookout Mountain, dancing, and traveling.
Marie was a devoted homemaker and an excellent cook who loved preparing family meals, delightful southern desserts, as well as the delicious vegetables grown in her husband’s garden. Marie deeply loved her family, friends, and community. She is survived by her son Brad, daughter-in-law Tami, grandson Oliver, as well as many nieces, nephews, and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her husband L.C. Jackson, her parents William and Maggie, her brothers Hollis, Curtis, Lawrence, Wade, Clayton, and George Olbum, and sisters Dalphine (Keller), Provie (Daniel), and Bonnie (Harrison). She will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her, and her memory will live on through the countless lives that she touched. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-saraland.com.
