I.V.

Jackson

I.V. Jackson (née Harvey), beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully at age 92 on March 8, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. I.V. was a woman of immense resilience, strength, generosity, and kindness. She was dedicated to her family and was a source of unwavering support and love. Her presence will be deeply missed. Her spirit will live on in the hearts of all who loved her.

She was born on February 13, 1933, in Wilson, Arkansas, to Francis Mae Freeman Willis and Percy T. Lee Montgomery Harvey III. Her parents named her I.V. in the deep southern tradition of using Roman numerals to name the fourth child. She grew up in a loving community with her oldest brother, Roy Baker, and her four sisters, Bernice Johnson, Minnie Lee Bray, Dorothy May Robertson, and Bobbie Dean Mays.

She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952. A couple of years later, I.V. left the deep South and headed north to Toledo, Ohio, where several family members had relocated during the Great Migration — a defining movement of the 20th century, when millions of Black Americans left the South in pursuit of better opportunities in the North.

Neighbors, co-workers, and the community of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church became friends and family as she settled into the small midwest city. She focused on providing for her daughters, Caprece Ann Jackson and Velda Jean Jackson, and herself. I.V. eventually landed a stable, well-paying job at the Libbey Glass Factory & Distribution Center. A few years later, she was hired by General Motors (GM) Propulsion Systems Plant, where she worked for nearly three decades. She was a member of the United Auto Workers Local 14.

I.V. loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren later in life, having long conversations on the phone with friends, playing cards, and attending concerts. She stayed up to date on current events, reading the newspaper every day. She worshiped with her church community and enjoyed cooking meals for her loved ones. She liked to travel and visited Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Memphis, Wilson, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Two trips that she recalled fondly were a Carribean cruise with her daughter, Velda, grandson, John, and her friend, Fannie Mae Roundtree; and a trip to Paris, France to visit her daughter, Caprece.

She was predeceased by her beloved daughter, Velda Jean Jackson; her parents, Francis Mae Freeman Willis and Percy T. Lee Montgomery Harvey III; her brother, Roy Baker; and her sisters Bernice Johnson, Minnie Lee Bray, and Dorothy May Robertson.

Her memory is carried forward by her devoted daughter, Caprece Ann Jackson-Garrett; youngest sister, Bobbie Dean Mays, her devoted daughter, Caprece Ann Jackson-Garrett; her beloved grandchildren, John Edward Cole, Dara Adelaja Jackson-Garrett, and Zahn Ade Jackson-Garrett; her great-grandson, Grayson Edward Cole; her dear niece, Charlotte Robinson; her longtime friend, Shirley Bowdre; and Marion "Missy" Hayward. She will be missed by family and friends.