Lawanda Mae Jacks

Lawanda Mae Jacks, a woman as spirited and warm as a freshly baked loaf of bread, traded Newark Ohio's crazy weather for the celestial breezes of the great beyond on July 7, 2023. Born on July 6, 1951, in Chicago, IL to the late Kenneth Ervin and Goldie Yonkers, Lawanda was a mid-century marvel, a woman of many talents and an infectious sense of humor. Lawanda lived a life that was as full and rich as her famous Southern Comfort Cake. She was a master in the kitchen and a queen in the garden, cultivating love and laughter as readily as she did lillacs and tomatoes. Lawanda was well-known for her selfless nature, always putting others before herself. It's said that she would give you the shirt off her back, but considering her penchant for baking, it was more likely to be an oven mitt.She spent her life spreading joy and kindness like it was butter on hot cornbread. Lawanda was a woman who loved with all her heart and baked with all her soul. She was the kind of person who made you feel like you were the most important person in the room, even if that room was full of freshly baked pies and cookies. Lawanda leaves behind her adoring husband, Everett V Jacks Jr., and their son, Aaron Jacks, who will undoubtedly continue her legacy of laughter and love. She also leaves behind her sister, Joan Guerrero, who shared many of Lawanda's passions, including her sense of humor. Lawanda was preceded in death by her siblings Marian Bush, Ruth Ervin, Jim Ervin, Jack Ervin, and Geno Ervin, and her parents, Kenneth Ervin and Goldie Yonkers. They are all undoubtedly waiting to greet her with open arms and freshly baked angel food cake.Lawanda was a woman of the world, loving nothing more than to experience new places and cultures. She was a traveler at heart, always ready for the next adventure. As the great comedian Bob Hope once said, "I love to go to Washington - if only to be near my money." Lawanda loved to travel - if only to be near her family.In the end, Lawanda's journey was cut short by Pulmonary Fibrosis and Lung Cancer. But let's be honest, if she could, Lawanda would have baked those diseases into a pie and served it a la mode. She was not one to let things get her down, and even in her final days, she faced every challenge with a smile and a joke. As we remember Lawanda Mae Jacks, let's not forget to laugh, to love, and to live with the same zest and zeal she did. Let's honor her memory by embracing the joys of life, the sweetness of a well-baked pie, and the beauty of a well-tended garden. Above all else, let's remember her for the loving, kind, and selfless individual she was.Lawanda Mae Jacks, a woman who lived life like it was a recipe to be savored, will be dearly missed. She was a woman who knew the secret ingredient to life was love, and she wasn't stingy with it. As we say goodbye, let's remember her with a smile, a chuckle, and a scoop of her famous potato salad. After all, as the great Julia Child once said, "A party without cake is just a meeting." Lawanda, your party will never end.