04/16/2025
James Aaron Jackson, born in Gary, TX on March 10, 1946, left this earth to go be with the Lord on April 9, 2025 at 79 years of age at his son’s home in Prairieville, Louisiana. He was raised in Willow Grove in Joaquin, TX by his parents Paul Allen and Annie Ruth Jackson.
He was the last survivor of their six children, including his siblings Raymond, Paul, Daniel, Judith, and Sheila.
He raised four children with his former wife, Donna Caillet, and is survived by his children Randall, Brigitte, Shane, and Natalie.
He had four children, nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Special thanks to Shane’s wife, Christina, and her son, Zakery, for their countless hours of help with our Daddy over the past two years.
Although he lost a leg in his early twenties, he spent his whole life working hard and doing for others. He had a terminal lung disease, but lived much longer than the doctors expected because he kept fighting for every breath with his faith in Jesus and hope knowing he had purpose to keep living. He relished the company of his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren, and those who were closest to him were blessed tremendously and their lives are better for it.
He served in Vietnam as a E-5 Sergeant in the Army and a Wireman in the Signal Corps, 197th Infantry Brigade, stationed out of Fort Benning, GA. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and M-14 Rifle Marksmanship for his brave efforts as an air traffic controller in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. His life was spared many times, including when he received 30,000 volts of electricity while working as an industrial painter. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University in 1978 despite going through multiple amputation surgeries and being a father of four. He was married to Donna Caillet for 30 years and they owned a ceramics supply business together to provide for their family while demonstrating perseverance and endurance. He worked for Martex Drilling Company out of Marshall, Tx in the late 90’s as a floor hand (in his 50’s and with an artificial leg) for several years which is physically and mentally demanding, dangerous, and requires pure physical toughness. He could fix anything and had an excellent understanding of how things work and he enjoyed teaching others life skills and how to do things. If he couldn’t fix it, it couldn’t be fixed!
During his last 25 years of life, he poured his life out for his children – helping them build and renovate homes along with countless repairs, helping with grandchildren, or anything that was asked of him. He felt like it was really important to work hard, pay your bills, and he gave everything he had keeping nothing for himself. He stayed beside several of his siblings during their final months of their lives helping to keep them company and care for them until the end.
Although he spent his last two years of life confined to a chair while on oxygen, he continued to help others in every way he could. He literally gave everything he had down to his last breath. There was nothing he would not do for his children. James Aaron Jackson demonstrated what it means to be truly selfless.
His wishes were to be cremated and a memorial service will be held on May 17, 2025 at 9:30am at Willow Grove Cemetery in Joaquin, Texas followed by a crawfish boil at Randall Jackson’s home in Tennessee Community.
