In loving memory of
Marsha Marie Doty Jackson
September 9, 2001
Marsha Marie Doty Jackson was a devoted mother and hardworking security guard who loved church Sundays, playing guitar for neighborhood children, and doing her best for her three children.
Remembering Marsha
A life held close in memory
Marsha Marie Doty Jackson (age 32) is remembered for the quiet, everyday ways she cared for her family and community. A single mother of three, she worked long hours for Burns Security to provide for her children and saw the job as the means to give them better opportunities. Friends remembered her as a woman who, despite hard circumstances, took time to be present for others — sitting on her porch, playing guitar for neighborhood children and offering them candy and words from the Bible.
Those who knew her said Marsha observed Sundays with special care: she would put on a bright dress, comb her hair, and go to church — small, steady rituals that reflected what mattered to her. Neighbors recalled her warmth and quiet generosity; she was someone who tried to bring comfort to others even while working difficult hours to support her family.
Marsha’s work at Burns Security was an important part of her life, providing stability for her children — a son in high school and two daughters. She balanced the demands of night and day shifts with the responsibilities of raising a family, holding to routines that rooted her children in home and faith.
Public reporting from the time records that Marsha died on September 9, 2001. Her passing left a hole in the lives of her children, neighbors and coworkers who remembered a woman who gave what she could — her care, her music, and her faith. While details in public sources focus on the tragic circumstances at the end of her life, the memories shared by those who knew her emphasize Marsha’s role as a mother, a neighbor who welcomed children on her porch, and a person who found solace and strength in church and in small acts of kindness.
Because there is no published funeral-home obituary located that exactly matches the full name and date in the public obituary indexes consulted, this remembrance is drawn from contemporary news coverage and memorial records to honor what is verifiably known about Marsha’s life and the ways she mattered to those around her.
Shared moments
From the gallery
Words from family and friends
Recent remembrances
Remembering Marsha with compassion and heartfelt sympathy. May every good memory bring some measure of comfort to the people whose lives were touched by this loss.