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Mary Ann Moore Jackson was the second child born to Rev. Frank Moore and Savilla Comp Moore in Thurman, Iowa, on Nov. 27, 1930.

Mary Ann and her sister, Martha Jane, grew up in parsonages in central east Iowa. Their father, Rev. Frank Moore, died during Mary Ann’s senior year in high school in Mt. Ayr, Iowa. Mary Ann took a job working at the local bank in Mt. Ayr. Her sister, Martha Jane, had already struck out to Los Angeles, California, to begin her career. Mary Ann took a train and headed west to join her sister who was working at a bank. Soon after arriving in Los Angeles, a friend of Mary Ann’s convinced her to travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and transfer to another bank. While staying at the YWCA, a young airman named Kenneth (Jack) Jackson pulled up to the YWCA and asked for “Betty.” Mary Ann hopped into his 1951 Mercury. On May 1, 1955, Mary Ann and Jack were married in Mt. Ayr, Iowa. They moved to Prichard, Alabama, where Jack worked at Mobile Drydocks, and Mary Ann was a homemaker.

Their first child, Martha Kay, was born in 1956, and their second child, Kenneth Jr. was born in 1958. During their marriage, they lived in Prichard, Thomasville, Huntsville, Hueytown, Dalton, Georgia, Rome, Georgia, Smyrna, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, Lumberton, North Carolina, Key West, Florida, and Montgomery, Alabama.

Her earthly treasures are her family: Martha Kay (Darrell) Ausborn, Anthony (Jennifer) Ausborn, Andrew (Megan) Ausborn, Adam (Morgan) Ausborn, Kenneth James Jackson (Cindy), William Jackson, and Sarah Ann (Catlin) Ballard. Mary Ann has eight great-grandchildren and several children (now adults) whom she grand mothered with love. Visitation for Mary Ann Jackson will be on Saturday, Jan. 7, 9 a.m., at First Methodist Andalusia, and a celebration of her life will be immediately following at 10 a.m. The celebration will be officiated by Dr. Kenneth J. Jackson and Rev. Reba Wiley. She will be buried at a private burial in Forest Hills Cemetery.

The family requests any memorials be given to First Methodist Church and marked “Threads of Love” a ministry to provide gowns for clothing stillborn babies.