SEASIDE, Calif. — It is with great sadness that we report the death of Averil Bennett Jackson on Aug. 7, 2020 in Seaside, California.
Averil was born on a tobacco farm in Ellerbe to Roscoe Bennett and Evelyn Silvernale Bennett on Nov. 6, 1945. She attended school in Ellerbe until her parents’ divorce and moved to Maxton with her mother, sister and two brothers. She attended Maxton High School where she was an excellent basketball player. Later she attended Vardell Hall in Red Springs.
Later, while caring for her grandfather, William Silvernnale, who was bedridden from a stroke in Saginaw, Michigan, she attended the University of Michigan. After her grandfather’s death, she moved back south to attend school and work.
Her sister, Lynne, introduced her to the love of her life, Wayne Jackson, who was a student at The Citadel. Upon his graduation, they were married in 1970. Wayne became a career Army nurse and served for 30 years. Averil and Wayne lived in Fayetteville, Washington, D.C., West Point, New York, Nuremberg, Germany, Hawaii, Texas, and retired to Seaside, California, near Fort Ord. Even with all the travel, Averil raised two fine boys, David, now of San Antonio, Texas, and Mike, now living in Princeton, North Carolina.
Averil was preceded in death by her father, Roscoe; her mother, Evelyn; three half-sisters, Merrill, June and Peggy; and one half-brother, Richard who lived at the homeplace in Ellerbe.
Averil is survived by one half-sister, Joyce; and two half-brothers, Johnny and Allen. She is survived by her older sister, Lynne (Anderson), of Omaha, Nebraska; two brothers, William (Bill) of Wilmington and David of Asheboro.
The joy of Averil’s life was her two sons and three granddaughters, Charlotte, Violia and Ila Fay. Even in sickness, she thought and talked of them often.
Wayne, her husband of 50 years, was very devoted and for the last two years cared for her personally as she suffered through ever-debilitating Parkinson’s and more recently breast and bone cancer. As she desired, she passed away under Wayne’s care at home. Her sons had spent the week with her at home.
Averil always spoke of Ellerbe as her home and remembered her family and friends growing up there. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
