Shirley Conder Jackson passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2012, after a year-long illness. Born on April 19, 1937, she was raised in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Shirley served as a WAVE in the U.S. Navy. She sang professionally on the Jimmy Dean Show in the late 1950s and recorded a record with Mercury Records. Recognized for her talent, Jackson went on to sing with Patsy Cline, and the two forged a friendship until Cline’s death in 1963.
In the fall of 1962, Shirley met and married H. Joaquin Jackson. They moved to Uvalde, Texas, where they raised two sons, Don Joaquin and Lance Sterling. While raising her children, Shirley worked in medical records at the hospital in Uvalde. In the evenings while her children were young, Shirley attended night school and earned a B.A. in English and her teacher’s certificate from Southwest Texas Junior College. After graduating, Shirley taught elementary and junior high school.
After Joaquin requested a move to Alpine, Texas, with the Texas Rangers, Shirley went on to earn a master’s in counseling and a second master’s in midlevel education management from Sul Ross State University. Shirley taught for several years for Alpine ISD and finished out her career as the counselor at Alpine Middle School.
