Dr Jackie Wilcox passed away peacefully in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, 16th July 2022, in the presence of loved ones.
As Professor and Department Chair in English at Northeastern State University she inspired students to love reading, French, cooking and conversation. The story of this unique woman began much earlier.
Jackie was born as Jacqueline Frances Marguerite de Venoge Harris (a name she resented having to write in full on exam papers) in Winchester, Hampshire, England, on 15th March 1942, while her father Jack was serving in the Royal Navy.
After a childhood moving to various schools, she married her first husband Ronald Heath and had two sons, Jonathan and Robin.
From the 1970s she taught French and later English in West Kirby, Merseyside, England.
In the 1980s she met Dr Carmen Wilcox, an education professor and love of her life. She moved to the US to be with him and obtained a masters degree and doctorate in English Literature in Illinois.
In 1993, she moved to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to teach English at Northeastern State University, where she was able to inspire her students with her love for the works of Jane Austen. She retired in 2012 after teaching at NSU for almost twenty years.
Dr Wilcox invented ways to connect her students to literature or French, often through food.
To honor her memory as a teacher and mother, we have created the Dr Jackie Wilcox Scholarship at the NSU Foundation.
In lieu of flowers would you please consider a donation of any size to aid a parent/student who is seeking a teaching degree?
The link is: NSUgiving.com/donate - In the comments section, tell them you are remembering Dr Jackie Wilcox.
Thank you.
Her Children
Jonathan Heath, Connecticut; Robin Heath, NYC
Allyn Wilcox, Illinois; Susan Wilcox, Indiana; Rosemary Scoular, Missouri; and Mary Gillen McMillen, Tulsa.
Her Sisters
Suki Lidbetter, England and Widge Thorpe, Wales
Numerous nieces and nephews
Bonus Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren