Mrs. Norma Riddle Jackson

Mrs. Norma Riddle Jackson, 78, of Thomaston, died Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at her residence after a sudden and brief illness. Funeral services for Mrs. Jackson will be held on Friday, January 17, at 4pm at The Gathering, with Charles Bennett officiating. Interment will follow in South View Cemetery. The family will receive friends 2 hours prior to the service. Norma was born in Pound, VA, on March 7, 1941, to the late Eugene Riddle and Jetty Stidham Riddle. She married Tom Jackson in 1958. After the birth of their first child, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1961, where she worked in the sales department at Lithonia Lighting in Conyers, Georgia. In the early 1970s, Norma, Tom and their two daughters moved to Thomaston, Georgia. In 1974, she purchased the Dairy Queen, which she owned and operated for 17 years. She had a positive impact on the lives of many of Thomaston’s youth and grew the business to become one of the top performing stores in Georgia. Because of her success with Dairy Queen, she was chosen to throw out the first pitch at an Atlanta Braves game in the mid 1980s – an exciting moment for her. Active in her community, she served as a Board Member on both the Chamber of Commerce and Flint River Technical College. Upon the birth of her grandchildren, she sold the restaurant to spend more time with her family and travel. She was an avid gardener and longtime active member of the Spade & Trowel Garden Club. She loved dancing – square dancing in her younger days, and ballroom dancing in her later years. She also enjoyed playing bridge and bunco. Norma was active at her church, The Gathering, and loved her church family. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Tom Jackson of Thomaston; two daughters: Denise Edenfield of Thomaston, and Traci (Chet) Huntley of Suwanee, GA; a grandson: Adam Edenfield of Thomaston; a granddaughter: Hayley (Ryan) Edwards of Atlanta, GA. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Gathering of Thomaston, GA or American Cancer Society. Fletcher-Day Funeral Home of Thomaston is in charge of all arrangements. Condolences and remembrances may be expressed at www.fletcherdayfuneralhome.com