Jeannette D. Vernon

Jeannette Delores Vernon departed this life peacefully on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at Cherry Lane Nursing Center in Laurel, Maryland.

Jeannette was born to the late James Jackson and Fannie Moore on Saturday, December 5, 1931 in Baltimore, Maryland. She is one of six children:  Ernest, Marvin, Ralph, Amelia, and Larry.

She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age at Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church. It was there, that her faith grew and she began to develop early Christian characteristics that exemplified her life. Jeannette was a woman that enjoyed praise and worship, reading the Bible, and praying for her family.  Jeannette graduated Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, MD in 1950. She graduated from the same school as her mother, Fannie Moore, and her grandmother, Sadie Colbert.

After high school, in 1951, she married Louis Besses II. From this union, they had five children: Deborah Patillo, Aleather Thompson, Louis Besses III, Andrea Artis, and Desiree Montague. Jeannette later moved to North Carolina with her five children, and eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, where she spent the next 48 years of her life. It was there where she met Willard Vernon, whom she later married.

While living in Ohio, she was an Accountant for many years, and later retired from National City Bank as a Collateral Vault Specialist. Jeannette’s favorite pastimes included bowling and sewing, however, she also enjoyed traveling, roller-skating, playing cards, shopping, and cooking. She was an extremely gifted seamstress; she enjoyed sewing everything from a children’s clothing to wedding parties. She was also a part of a bowling league for approximately 40 years and have won many awards.

Jeannette is survived by five children: Deborah Patillo (Ronnie), Aleather Thompson, Louis Besses III (Rosalind), Andrea Artis (Thurman), and Desiree Montague (Vincent); twenty grandchildren: Ronnie Jr., Louis IV, Christina, Truceilla Shyvon, Jacqueline, Vincent Jr., David, LaChrisha, Delilah, Darlene, Alesha, Dawn, Berry, Renee, Genvon, Jamal, Pete, Derek, Rayon, and Levelle (she use to say, “if I knew grandkids would this much fun I would have had them first”); her sister, Amelia Terry; along with a host of great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her loving parents, James Jackson and Fannie Moore, along with her siblings, Ernest, Marvin, Ralph, and Larry.