What a life. What a joy. What a story.

Frederica “Freddie” Vaile Jackson took her last breath with family surrounding her on Friday March 24th, 2023 as she took her first steps into heaven. In heaven there is no Parkinson’s to battle, no dementia to rob you of your memories, and no wheelchairs to hinder you. We can promise you that she is laughing with pure joy and dancing with reckless abandon on those streets of gold in the presence of the Lord.

Born in 1931 in Washington DC, Freddie joined her father, Emmett Hines Sr. (1899 - 1975), and mother, Frederica Boatwright Hines (1898 - 1992), and older brother Emmett Hines Jr. and older sister Martha.

Freddie is survived by her daughter Jeanne George, and sons Kip Vaile and Jim Vaile. She loved eleven grandchildren and frequently boasted about having nine great grandchildren.

Freddie is predeceased by her parents and siblings. Also, by her husband, Horace Snyder “Chip” Vaile Jr. (1929 - 1988), and second husband John James Jackson (1942 - 2019).

So.

That’s nice.

So what?

Everything above will satisfy the people one hundred years from now who are tracking down names and dates to add to their lengthy family tree and complicated genealogy charts. It reminds us of Matthew chapter 1 “Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers…” And it goes on.

But what will she be remembered for?

Freddie had the joy of living in many different places in her lifetime. Washington, DC, Bronxville, NY, Buffalo, NY, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, Pittsburgh, PA, Northern VA and Asheville, NC where she would hike in the mountains, paddle on the rivers and camp in the wild. She found the best in each place that she lived, and enjoyed adventures in all of them.

NEVER one to complain, when asked how she was doing she’d always reply with a smile “just ducky!” She took the time and made the effort to always give her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren homemade gifts. A student of sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, furniture refinishing, and crafting she outfitted every family member with afghans and sweaters and blankets and Christmas ornaments that had meaning and memories behind them.

She loved to laugh, and could tease (appropriately) with the best of them. Always quick with a one-liner or a joke or a harmless prank. I remember her promising us snow on Christmas morning when we were teenagers. We told her that that wasn’t possible, but she insisted we’d have snow. Sure enough, we had snow. In the form of plastic stick-on decals on all the windows. There was also the time that she put a piece of cardboard into our sandwiches on April fools Day.

A forever “exerciser”, she could out walk our dog, play tennis all day, and hike for miles. In her eighties she looked forward to stress tests because the doctors always told her she was more fit than most fifty year olds.

She knew when her “parenting” job was over and allowed us to make mistakes as adults. She never said “I told you so” she’d just smile and knew that we’d figure it out. She accepted our spouses as her own and never had anything but kind things to say. There were no guilt trips given if we hadn’t called her or seen her in awhile. She’d simply answer the phone and say “I was just thinking about you!”

She spent her last few years in Richmond, Virginia. Even up to her last days she was viewed as one of the nicest, kindest people. She was the favorite of so many residents and staff at Auburn Hill. Often being called "the queen", or "my second mom." Parkinson’s and dementia have a tendency to make you “mean” at the end but she didn’t let it get the best of her. We have hope and faith in the truth that she is in heaven. She made the decision years ago to trust Jesus to be the center of her life. His promise holds true not just to her, but to all who make that free will choice.

Ephesians 1:13

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”

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