- Date Of Birth: October 8, 1958
- Date Of Death: May 31, 2022
- State: North Carolina
Jacqueline Machell Nalls, known to friends as “Mama Jack” and “Jackie”, passed away on May 31, 2022 in North Carolina in the comfort of her family.
Jacqueline Machell Nalls was born on October 8, 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio to the union of Winifred and Arthur Mason.
At the tender age of 14, Jacqueline gave birth to a baby girl, Shawntraven.
With the love and support of her parents, Jacqueline continued her education. While in high school, Jacqueline met and fell in love with William Bryan Nalls to whom she married at the age of 17 on February 4, 1976. And from that union she had 2 more girls, Michelle and Malikah.
Jacqueline graduated from Shaw High School in 1976. After high school she attended Tri-C Community College for a short time.
In 1987, Jacqueline joined the Nation of Islam and accepted Allah as her God and became a Muslim.
“Mama Jack” was known as the mother of the neighborhood. She took everyone under her wings and she was the most loving, caring and non-judgmental person you could ever meet. “Mama Jack” was an amazing cook and she loved to feed everybody. “Jackie” would feed all of the neighborhood kids daily including her husband, Bill’s band members at the house or on the road when she traveled with them. “Jackie” was their biggest fan. Jackie’s house was always filled with love. She was so understanding and you could be sure that your secrets were safe with her. “Jackie” loved her family and shared a special bond with all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. “Jackie” was selfless and she put everyone’s needs before her own. “Mama Jack” loved music but most of all live bands. She loved playing cards and board games on Family Game Nights.
Jacqueline took care of her husband, Bill, with unconditional love and support until he passed away in 2011.
In 2016, Jacqueline moved to North Carolina with her parents to care for them with unconditional love and support until they passed away in 2020.
Jacqueline is preceded in death by her husband, William “Bill” Nalls; her parents, Winifred and Arthur Mason; her two brothers, Arthur and Eric; and a great grandson, Josiah.
Jacqueline leaves to cherish her memory: daughter, Shawntraven Johnson; son, William Nalls; daughter, Michelle Nalls; son, Kenyatte Nalls; daughter, Malikah Nalls; sisters, Veronica LeFlore, Aliece Wright and April Mason; five nieces, two nephews, 18 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and a host of other family and friends.
A Special Thanks to April Mason:
We would like to thank you for taking our mother into your warm and loving home and taking care of our Mom, showing and giving her your unconditional love and support. If she were still here, she would agree that you are truly an angel sent from Heaven and we love and appreciate everything you did for our Mom. We love you so much and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
“You Never Said Goodbye”-by Author Unknown
You never said I’m leaving,
You never said goodbye.
You were gone before I knew it,
And only God knew why.
A million times I needed you,
A million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.
In Life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place,
That no one could ever fill.
It broke my heart to lose you,
But you didn’t go alone.
For part of me went with you,
The day God took you home.
“The Broken Chain”-by Ron Tranmer
We little knew that day,
God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death, we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
You did not go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
You left us beautiful memories,
Your love is still our guide.
And although we cannot see you,
You are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same.
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again.
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