‘My husband was not born to die that way’: Candlelight vigil held in memory of Sammy Jackson
Bibb County School District Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims opened the vigil, calling on those in attendance to hug one another in Jackson’s memory.
BYRON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Family, friends and former players gathered Wednesday night at Harvest Church in Byron to honor the life of Sammy Jackson, a longtime college basketball coach who was working as an assistant coach at Bibb County’s Howard Middle School when he was killed last month while working his second job as an Uber driver.
Jackson’s wife, Jill, organized the vigil, which was livestreamed on Facebook by Jackson’s sister, Barbara.
“We will gather in love and remembrance, sharing prayers, memories, and light as we celebrate a life whose presence will forever be missed,” Jill Jackson wrote in the announcement of the event. “We also want to invite all rideshare drivers to participate so that we can pray for your continued safety.”
Bibb County School District Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims opened the vigil, calling on those in attendance to hug one another in Jackson’s memory.
“If you think about how that unique hug felt, it dwindles in comparison to the impact that Coach Sammy has had on this world,” Sims said before offering the opening prayer.
Ralph Wilson, one of Jackson’s former athletes at Fort Valley State University, spoke about how Jackson gave him a second chance and changed his life.
“No matter what I did or how much of a knucklehead I was, he always gave me a chance,” Wilson said. “He always told me there was more out there.”
Howard Middle School basketball coach Ron Christian, who coached alongside Jackson at Howard, remembered Jackson’s impact through a personal story.
“I used to watch him go down to the access room and grab two kids that, they would never have P.E., would never be in the gym for anything, and he’d bring them to the gym, and when nobody was in the gym, he’d walk and talk with them,” he said. “One of the kids, he was close to being non-verbal, but he would make sounds. He knew what Coach Jackson was saying to him. And to this day, I watch those same kids who would walk every day with him since the beginning of the year, I see their emotions now that he’s not there, and I can tell the impact that he’s had on those two young men. This is the type of man he was.”
Jill Jackson shared her personal grief and the importance of supporting others who work as ride-hailing drivers.
“My husband was not born to die that way,” she said. “This vigil is for our family, to honor him, but it’s also for us to support all those who are out there supporting others the way he did.”
The vigil ended with a prayer for ride-hailing drivers.
30-year-old Iquane Brown is charged with murder and multiple other offenses related to the case. Brown is being held at the Houston County Jail on unrelated charges out of Warner Robins.
Jackson’s visitation will be held on Friday, February 7 from 4-7 p.m. (Central time) at Wright Funeral Home and Crematory, located at 15579 US Hwy 431 South, Headland, AL 36345. The funeral service will take place on Saturday, February 8, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. (Central time) at the Headland High School Gymnasium, located on Sporman St, Headland, AL 36345.
