Obituary for Valerie Jackson (Bennett) Valerie Jackson (nee Bennett), 65, was born on August 27, 1952 and passed away peacefully on July 10, 2018 with her devoted husband and good friends by her side. In addition to her husband Bruce, she is survived by her brother Allen (Karen), sister-in-law Gail and many loving cousins. Val was born in Kettering, England, North Hamptonshire County to George and Rena (nee Schmidt) Bennett.
Kettering is just a few miles from Althorpe where Princess Diana is buried. Val was very proud of her English heritage and would talk of afternoon teas she had when growing up. Her parents, George and Rena met in England, married there and lived in Manchester, England until Val was 10 years old.
At that time, they moved to Shelbyville, Indiana (her dad was a native of Indiana) where she lived until she married Bruce in 1978. Bruce and Val met while she was working at Ft. Benjamin Harrison outside of Indianapolis, Indiana.
They married in 1978 and started their first of what would grow into 39 years of marriage. With Bruce in the military, they had several big moves during their marriage. Their first stop after tying the knot was Stuttgart, Germany, where they spent 4 wonderful years.
Val was able to tell many stories about their times in Germany. After Germany, they moved to Ft. Riley, Kansas in the NE part of Kansas.
Here they spent 4 years enjoying the heartland of the country. After Kansas, they transferred to Ft. Huachuca, Arizona where they stayed for 1 year.
At this time, they decided it’s time for Bruce to retire from the Army. His last day was August 31, 1989 after proudly serving 29 years in the military. Now able to move where they want, they moved to Tucson, Arizona!
There Val worked at the Veterans’ Hospital and the U.S. Department of Justice until retiring after many years. Through all her years, Val had a passion for reading, a love of history and was a devoted trivia buff. She would banter back and forth with anyone regarding history or trivia…and you better have known your stuff if you went up against her!
She looked forward to their trips to Las Vegas and Laughlin. She was actually becoming quite the poker player, learning from Bruce, watching Texas Hold’em Tournaments on TV and sitting at the poker table playing the game. Through all the years, where ever Val was living or traveling, she always made friends.
She never met a stranger. Her many friends will always have a special place in their hearts for her. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, August 19, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the home of a dear friend.
Anyone wishing to attend the celebration may call Adair Funeral Home, Dodge Chapel for more information.
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