Jacquelyn Elaine Douglas Haynes, age 63, went to be with the Lord on April 19, 2023. She was born January 10, 1960, to Herbert and Gilberta Douglas in Fort Myers, Florida.
She is survived by her husband, Adolphus Dodson Haynes Jr, her sons, Adolphus Dodson Haynes III (AJ), and Christopher Douglas Haynes, her granddaughters, Faith Leigh Haynes, and Hope Eloris Haynes and her siblings, Alfred Cheesborough and Caroline Douglas. Celebration of Life for Jacquelyn will be held Saturday, April 29, at Neal-Tarpley-Parchment Funeral Home. Visitation is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., and Memorial Service will begin at 1:00 p.m. Visitation and Memorial Service are open to the public. In recognition of Jacquelyn’s vibrant personality, the family invites friends and family in attendance to wear vibrant and light colors should they choose. For those interested in donating flowers, there are several local florists, including Hilldale Florist which is close to the funeral home. Link to Hilldale Florist, https://fourseasonsflorist.com/. If you feel led to donate to a charitable cause in Jacquelyn’s name, the family asks contributions to be made towards Loaves & Fishes https://loavesandfishestn.org/ or St. Jude Children’s Hospital https://www.stjude.org/.
Jacquelyn (referred to as Jackie by family and friends) graduated from Fort Myers High School where she was a cheerleader and the Homecoming Queen for her class. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Saint Augustine University. While at Saint Augustine, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Jackie received her Master’s Degree in Education from Trevecca Nazarene University while juggling being a wife, involved mother to her sons, AJ and Chris, as well as a teacher. Jackie taught through both the Clarksville Montgomery County School System and the Department of Defense Education Activity. After over 30 years of service as a teacher, Jackie retired. While she enjoyed retirement and spending time with her family, more specifically her grands, Faith and Hope, she continued to reflect on the children she taught and hoped they were doing well. Among her accolades as a teacher was being recognized as Teacher of the Year for a district, she taught in through DODEA. Jackie was also proud of her daughter-in-law, Jenny, for teaching at East Montgomery Elementary and continuing the J. Haynes legacy in CMCSS.
Jackie was a woman of strong faith to God. Most recently, she was attending church service at Hilldale’s Family Life Center just down the road from her home. She previously attended First Missionary Baptist Church where she met many people who she respected and developed friendships with. As a member there, she was involved in the choir and with projects such as helping to spearhead projects for operations of the Emmanuel Family Life Center. Jackie walked with love, light, and kindness toward others. While Jackie made a significant contribution to youth and the community, she also made a lasting impact at home. She was the best mom and Gaga, a wife, sister, cousin, aunt, and friend. She was the glue and nucleus for her family and a source of wisdom as well as someone to lean on.
Being the family cook, she often made plans for local family to come to her house to enjoy an abundance of food including her one and only macaroni and cheese , potato salad, greens and sweet potato pie. And if you were a friend to one of her sons, AJ or Chris, and came by the house, you were adopted. She would make sure you didn’t leave hungry and sometimes would send her sons with a plate to give to their friends. Her family can still remember her shouts of encouragement for Chris at football games and AJ at wrestling matches. She also was a devoted Dallas Cowboys fan and never wavered. Between her following the Cowboys, and husband, Dodson following the Packers, they spent a lot of their leisure time watching football and grilling. Jackie enjoyed singing, dancing, and music in general. Some of the most cherished memories Chris has with her are the two of them going to Janet Jackson shows in Nashville together.
Being raised in Florida, Jackie loved the beach. A couple summers ago, she attended a family trip to Disney World and Cocoa Beach. This was the first time her grands, Faith and Hope, had been to Disney and the first time the three of them got to experience the beach together as well. It was a magical time. Jackie loved Faith and Hope so much. She was their favorite cook and babysitter. Jackie instilled confidence and strength in them while surrounding and drowning them with the deepest love. She could not love them more or be any prouder of them. Jackie found great comfort and complacency watching Disney, reading, going on fun adventures, playing, and sharing treats with Faith and Hope. Jackie also enjoyed watching them practice dancing, attending their recitals, and seeing their school productions.
Jackie’s greatest contribution to family and others was role modeling a life of surrender to God through loving others, practice of forgiveness, humility, and peace. She had a beautiful, radiant smile and often noted places for humor and laughter in life. Jackie was keeping up with a journal, and almost every day wrote how blessed and thankful she was to God. While her physical presence will be missed, her family knows she is with Jesus and can feel her presence everywhere around them.