Gertrude Dolores Jackson

Gertrude Jackson was born on May 2, 1921. Upon graduation from high school, she moved to St Louis,
MO to attend St Mary’s School of Nursing. After graduating in 1944, she worked briefly in Sacramento,
CA before enlisting as a 2 nd Lieutenant in the US Army to help with World War II efforts. Before leaving
for New York to fulfill her military obligation, she met a young man named Howard Jackson. He secretly
arranged to meet the beautiful African American woman whose photo was posted in a local newspaper
where she was hailed as the 2 nd Black registered nurse in Sacramento. Enamored with her beauty and
charm, he followed Gertrude to New York where they were married. After her military obligation was
fulfilled, they both moved back to Sacramento where she worked for, and eventually retired from,
Sutter Memorial Hospital. Their marriage produced 6 children and lasted for 70 years until Howard’s
death in 2016.
Gertrude was preceded in death by her husband Howard as well as sons Anthony and Howard Jr
(Patrick) Jackson. She is survived by the following children: daughter Paula Hall and her husband Alundis
(Sonny), son Laurence and his wife Darlene Jackson, daughter-in-law Deborah Jackson, daughter
Bayinnah Sharrieff (Tina), and daughter Jeanne Taylor; grandchildren: Mark Johnson, Mia Johnson,
Sakari Elias, Ronald Jackson and his wife Moniqua, Justin Brooks, Kai Jackson, Randall Taylor, Kyla Taylor,
and Myles Taylor; great grandchildren: Milagros (Millie) Elias, Xavier Jackson, Xander Jackson, and
Benjamin Ulriksen; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.