Eva Jackson

    Eva Lorena Tugwell Jackson passed away peacefully on August 10, 2022. 
    Born near Lamesa, Texas on August 28, 1921, Eva grew up in Levelland, Texas where she graduated high school. On May 5th, 1940, she married Lawrence Sydney Jackson, also of Levelland, Texas. 
    Not long after the first of their three children was born, Eva and Lawrence headed west to California. After a brief stint in the US Navy during WWII, the family eventually settled in Long Beach, California where the last two children (both boys) were born. They remained in Long Beach for many years, making many lifelong friends. 
    Lawrence, however, always yearned for his west Texas roots, so in 1958, the family of five moved to Lamesa, a primarily cotton farming town about 70 miles south of Levelland. It was there that Lawrence joined his younger brother Junnier in a joint auto repair business which they named Jackson Brothers Automotive. Besides assisting with keeping the books for the business, Eva also worked for JC Penney for a number of years, earning the coveted Golden Ruler award, which she proudly kept the rest of her long life. Lawrence and Eva remained in Lamesa until 1998 when, Lawrence now retired, they relocated once again, this time to Waco, Texas. 
    Eva, to put it simply, was an amazing woman. In her nearly 101 years, she traveled the world, was present for history through the Great Depression, five major wars, the moon landing, the Civil Rights Movement, and so much more. She was highly intelligent, with an understated but witty sense of humor, and she had more than her fair share of common sense. 
    To know her was to love her. Her intensely blue eyes never failed to catch the smallest detail, and when they were turned on a person, it felt as if one’s soul was reflected in their sparkling depths. She loved zinnias and cardinals, cornbread crumbled into buttermilk, made quilts of breathtaking artistry, and baked the best oatmeal raisin cookies on the planet. She spoke slowly and thoughtfully, and spent part of each day in study and prayer. Kindness and love were always present in her home. Among her favorite things to say was “if you don’t have something good to say about someone, don’t say anything.”
    Eva was predeceased by her husband of 70 years, Lawrence Sydney Jackson, and by her eldest son Larry Joe Jackson. 
    She is survived by two children, Sandi Walrath (and husband Jerry) and Neulon D. (Doug) Jackson (and wife Penni), ten grandchildren, and a plethora of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by two brothers, Don Tugwell (and wife Opel) of Levelland, Texas and Claud Tugwell of Amarillo, Texas.
– Press-Reporter obituary services