Leigh Jackson

Leigh/Matilda Jackson (12/28/1924 - 08/03/2013)(a/k/a Lee Garofalo, nÃ©e Matilda Francesca Antinori)Leigh Jackson passed away August 3, 2013 in Wilsonville, Oregon at the age of 88. She is survived by her daughter Lisa Macks and grandchildren, Rachel and Alek Macks, also of Wilsonville; her sister, Rosemarie Curry of Olympia, Washington; and stepchildren from her marriage to the late Ralph Edward Jackson: Kathy Jackson Martin of Birmingham, Alabama; Ric Jackson of Pell City, Alabama; Laura Jackson Coury of Oakland, California; Pam Jackson of San Francisco, California; and Paula Morgan of Carlsbad, California.Leigh was born December 28, 1924 to Giuseppe and Guerrina Antinori, Italian immigrants. Giuseppe was a young widower already in the States. He corresponded with Guerrina in Italy, who then traveled to America and they married in Canada, settling in New York. Born in Manhattan, Leigh grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Never fond of her birth name, she adopted the nickname "Leigh"â??first spelling it "Lee"â??and used it throughout her adult life. (Her mother had called her "Tillie" for short.)Leigh modeled fur coats in New York City as a young woman. Though she won a science scholarship to college, she instead went to work to help her family. She married Joseph James Garofalo and they moved to Miami, Florida in 1948 when Joe was transferred with Pan Am Airlines. They were married for 28 years and had one daughter, Lisa Lynne. Leigh and Joe lived across the street from Queenie and Joe Sciscento. The families became lifelong friends, along with Queenie's sister and brother-in-law, Yolette and Cass Bogush, and all of their children. They shared many happy holiday gatherings together, Queenie and Joe serving as godparents to Leigh's daughter. Joe assisted Leigh in finding employment at Lindsey Hopkins Technical Center,where he was a respected teacher. Leigh and her husband Joe later moved to Hialeah and Leigh began work for North Hialeah Elementary School.Leigh continued her career as a school secretary and registrar for 40 years. She organized, founded and was president of the Union of Office Professionals (UOPD) in Miami-Dade County, the largest school system in Florida and 4th largest in the nation. She was made an honorary board member of the Teachers Union. Leigh made lifelong friendships within the school district, from cooks to teachers to principals, some long gone, all dear to her heart. She befriended a young teacher fresh out of college, Beth Jolley, now of Pennsylvania, and they became great friends. They shared a love of antiquing and seeking out thrift shop treasures.Gifted in languages, Leigh's native language was Italian; however, she quickly learned English when she began school. Working in Miami she easily picked up Spanish, and later attended night classes to learn French. Leigh loved music and had a beautiful singing voice, singing in her church choir in Florida for many years. She learned to play the piano later in life.Leigh married her second husband and soul mate, Ralph Jackson, in 1980. Tragically, he passed away suddenly a year later, but his children remained close with Leigh and her daughter Lisa.Leigh loved to travel. Her first experience was a trip with her parents to Italy at the age of three. This involved a bit of scandal, as Leigh's father had plans to bring back another woman using Leigh's mother's passport. Leigh's grandfather, an Italian magistrate, got wind of this scheme and quickly squashed it.Each spring break Leigh and her school co-workers chartered trips to Greece, England, France, Italy and other destinations. In 1985 Leigh and Lisa traveled together to Italy, with a wonderful welcome from Leigh's Italian relativesâ??meeting them for the first timeâ??Leigh's Aunt Annita, cousin Rosanna, and Rosanna's children Antonio and Edda. Leigh and Rosanna enjoyed many visits with each other in the years to follow.Leigh had a great fondness for all animals. As a child in Brooklyn, her mother always had a cat. Since they lived in an upper-floor apartment, the family would lower the cat in a bucket to street level, the cat would take care of business, and then cry when it was ready to jump in the bucket and be hauled back up. Leigh had several special dogs, most notably Sammy and Cara, and her final pet cat, Cassidy, was her constant companion, rarely leaving her side. The family wishes to express their gratitude to the wonderful staff of Gentiva Hospice, Windfield Village and Adeo Home Careâ??with special thanks to Laurie and Anne of Gentiva for their comfort and support, to Mercedes and Alisha of Windfield, who watched over Leigh in her final hours, and to Felicia and Tammy of Adeo Home Care, long-time caregivers who treated Leigh like family - and the countless administrators, caregivers, residents, and friends who enriched Leigh's life at Windfield.A memorial service was held Sunday, August 11, 2013 at Windfield Village with final interment to follow later this year in South Florida, honoring Leigh's wishes are to be buried with her beloved Ralph. Details will be announced.

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Leigh Jackson

December 28, 1924 - August 3, 2013