Pierrette Marie Jackson

Pierrette Marie Jackson [née Monérat], 85, passed away peacefully on 26 September 2023 at 12:46 pm at her home in Woodbridge, Virginia. She was held by her loving husband of 63 years, Richard, and surrounded by their sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren while one of her favorite songs, Georgia on My Mind, played softly and the smell of warm meals prepared by the family wafted through the air. This is the normal gathering for Pierrette: family piled into her home to laugh and share Sunday lunch together. The moment her family enters her home, they can’t help but close their eyes and take a deep breath of Pierrette’s delicious French cooking. They are transported from the stress of daily life into a place somewhere in France’s tranquil countryside, perhaps on a farm with endless fields of purple lavender. The sights and smells of a French kitchen in full use are a feast for the senses: fresh rosemary and basil plucked from her garden, garlic and herb chicken glowing golden in the ovens, her famous rillette, potato and leek soup, rum cake, deviled eggs, tender lettuce mixed with Grandmère’s vinaigrette dressing, baguettes with plates of Camembert and other cheeses, and freshly brewed coffee…her dining room table beautifully set for a banquet. She and her family ate, talked, and laughed at the long dining table, which had grown longer over the years and spilled over to other tables in the home to accommodate additions to the family. All relished the opportunity to relax, connect, and stuff themselves full of delicious food on these happy occasions, where Pierrette’s hospitality and love shone its brightest. Pierrette was born 22 October 1937, the youngest of ten children, in Château de Touvérac, Charente, France, to Jean André Monérat and Marie Rachel Denot. Pierrette graduated from Lycée de Jeunes Filles in Charente, France, and earned a degree in accounting. Pierrette married Richard Leroy Jackson on 12 March 1960 at Nercillac, Charente, France, near her parent’s home. Pierrette worked for the US Department of the Army in France and the USA in various roles, finally retiring from Nonappropriated Funds (NAF) in 2000. Pierrette was an avid tennis player and taught the sport to her children and grandchildren. She read to them, shared her recipes and love of cooking, hosted amazing Easter egg hunts, loved spoiling her seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and brought them up to be the best people. Pierrette also enjoyed keeping a lush garden filled with herbs, vegetables, figs, flowers, pollinators, and hummingbirds. Her grandchildren have fond memories of Grandmère helping them make “bug food” (using her spices) to feed the critters of her garden. When asked by the hospice chaplain if she could go back in time and whether she would change anything, Pierrette responded with, “Nothing, I wouldn’t want to change a thing.” She lived an amazing, fulfilled life, loved by everyone who knew her. Now, she’s onto her next journey. Pierrette will be forever missed, always to remain in her family’s hearts. Pierrette is survived by her husband, Richard; sons: Richard Jr. (Que-Huong “Theresa” Le), Michel (Sara Sims), Mark (Xenia), Ronald (Mandy Souders); grandchildren: Kyle (Meredith Hermann), Rachel, Andrew (Emily Hermann), Nicole, Billy (Vannesa), David, and Casey (Klayton Coger); great-grandchildren: Sophia, Victoria, Kody; and siblings: Simone, Guy (Eva Setaud), Roland (Gisèle Bougeois), and Michel (Odette Boulva). Pierrette was preceded in death by sisters Madeleine, Christiane, and brothers Marcel, Paul, and Gaston. Bon Voyage, Pierrette. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Brain Tumor Association.

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Pierrette Marie Jackson

September 26, 2023