- Date Of Birth: August 13, 1928
- Date Of Death: December 2, 2021
- State: Utah
One of the kindest, sweetest and non-judgmental hearts this world has ever seen, stopped beating late Thursday evening on December 2, 2021. Our beloved 93-year-old mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother, Shirley Rae De Lange Jackson, left this world to have a joyful reunion with her husband, son, grandson, great grandson, parents and siblings.
She was born in Richfield, Utah on August 13, 1928 to Joseph Franklin De Lange and Rhoda Ann Bagley. She lived in Koosharem and attended high school in Richfield, Utah. She married her high school sweetheart, Preston Reeves Jackson, in the Manti Temple on October 29, 1945. Their union was blessed with 10 Children – five daughters and five sons.
Shirley was a devoted daughter, wife and mother. She was the baby in a family of twelve children, and the only one with beautiful blonde hair. As a child, Shirley loved to help her papa at his store called the Grass Valley Merc and she enjoyed helping her mama at home. She loved to write plays and then act them out with her friends and cousins. In the 9th grade, Shirley won the school tennis table championship. Shirley also played the saxophone. She never lost her love for dolls.
Shirley crocheted, made clothing for her children, grew large gardens and put up 1000s of bottles of fruits and vegetables. She worked at IRS for over 20 years, but her hobby was her children.
Shirley was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many callings especially in the primary working with children. She enjoyed serving in the temple with her husband, Preston. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.
The family will always remember her chocolate cakes and her “small” dishes of ice cream topped with her homemade frozen strawberry jam. Later, it was ice cream on a stick or in a cone.
Shirley enjoyed taking trips with her family, especially to Koosharem and Fish Lake. She also loved visiting Capital Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion’s Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Goblin Valley, Mesa Verde and Yellowstone. Shirley loved camping with her family in South Fork and at Monte Cristo. They traveled to California, Oregon and Washington to see all the volcanos and to Seattle for the World’s Fair. They enjoyed cruises with their family and siblings. They toured Mesoamerica with Shirley’s niece, Rhoda, and her husband, Joe Allen, to see the beautiful stone monuments erected by the Olmec, Maya and Aztec cultures.
She is survived by nine of her children, David (JaNae Cragun) of Willard, Richard (Peggy Smith) of Clinton, Diane (Michael) Stuart of Careywood, Idaho, Randy (Diane Yoshimura) of Roy, Debbie (Bruce) Johnson of West Haven, Caralee (Gary) Childress of Clinton, Duane (Machel Woolsey) of South Ogden, MaryAnn (Richard) Holley of Huntsville and Sharon Gardner of Irving, Texas.
Shirley is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Darwin and ReNae Jackson, as well as 43 grandchildren, 139 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Preston, her parents, Frank and Rhoda De Lange, her brothers and sisters, LaVon, Alma, Talmage, Gurena, Winona, LeNea, Wanda, LeLand, Darthell, Phyllis and Norma, her son, Donald P, her grandson Robert Childress and her great-grandson Wyatt Bowen.
