Cayman national hero Francine Jackson, a leading campaigner for women’s rights and a marriage celebrant who performed almost 4,000 marriages, has passed away at the age of 97.
Jackson, who was active up to the last, passed suddenly early morning Sunday, 5 July, her daughter Joy Basdeo told the Compass.
“It was sudden, but because of her age and she did have a heart condition, it wasn’t unexpected, but she was such an active person,” Basdeo said. “She hadn’t complained of anything.”
Jackson had attended a funeral service on Saturday and played bingo at a seniors’ club later and then had been out shopping as she was expected to host one of her renowned tea parties on Sunday.
“We were out shopping,” Basdeo said. “She was getting ready for the tea. She wanted to make sure she had all the things ready to greet her guests for tea.”
Jackson, who was honoured with national hero status in January last year, was singled out for her work as an early pioneer who battled for woment to get the vote and become politicians.
Jackson, along with Captain Keith Parker Tibbetts, Ernest Craddock Ebanks and Frank Hugh George Scotland, was announced as the islands’ newest addition to the national heroes list.
Battle for votes for women
Jackson was determined in the 1950s to gain recognition for women and give them a voice in the political process.
A petition for women’s voting rights, which was presented to lawmakers in 1948 by a group of women in George Town of which Jackson was a part, was dismissed.
But, despite her slight stature, Jackson was undeterred and she and three Bodden Town women submitted a similar petition in 1957 in a bid to get votes for women and for them to able to stand for office.
She voted for the first time in the 1959 election and, with several other women dubbed “the Fabulous Four” later stood for office, although all were defeated at the polls.
Faith and marriage ceremonies
Jackson in addition blazed a trail in marriage, becoming Cayman’s first Civil Register of Marriages, and opened Cayman Weddings in West Bay in the mid-1980s.
She and husband Vernon, who died a decade ago, between them performed almost 8,000 wedding ceremonies.
Jackson was also stalwart in her faith and was church mother at John Gray Memorial Church, where she counselled couples.
She also stepped up during the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, providing hot meals for many families after the massive storm.
Basdeo said it was hard to sum up a life lived so long and that had been lived so well.
She added, “That’s going to be a hard one. My mother was all about love. I never heard her speak unkindly about anyone and her door was open to anybody who needed help, support and prayer.
“She had a very strong faith. She was all about family. We have a big, loving family and we all enjoyed her very, very much and we were blessed to have her for so long.”
Basdeo added, “She was very community minded and that’s her biggest contribution to the country. Whenever she met anyone, she was ready to embrace them, no matter where they came from.
“She was a uniting force in the community, which is very important in these times.”
Deep interest in current affairs
Basdeo said her mother was a political person and retained her interest in current affairs, in Cayman and globally, right up to her death.
“She was always aware and kept herself aware about what was going on, not just on the island, but around the world,” Basdeo said.
“She often talked about politics and she was very knowledgeable about what was happening.”
Basdeo said she was a small child when her mother battled for women’s rights and did not remember much of her struggle.
“I wouldn’t say she was a feminist,” Basdeo said. “She was a strong and independent woman and she had a husband who encouraged her to be strong and independent.”
Jackson and her husband, who were married for 65 years, had three children, Basdeo, Jennifer Dilbert and André Jackson.
Jackson’s funeral arrangements are still to be announced.
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