Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Tucked away in South Louisiana is the small town of Mamou. It is located 85 miles west of Baton Rouge in Evangeline Parish and is known for its gumbo, boudin, smoked meats, Cajun delicacies, and everything else in between. Named for the Acadian heroine Evangeline, in the 1847 poem of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the name means "bearer of good news." Mamou residents Sidney Fontenot, Sr. and Ella Thomas Fontenot were delighted to receive good news as they welcomed baby girl Bessie Rena Fontenot on March 12, 1947. She was the oldest of three children born to this union in the town known as "The Cajun Music Capital of the World."

Throughout her elementary and high school years, Rena excelled in all of her academic pursuits. After graduating as Valedictorian of the class of 1965, she was awarded an academic scholarship to Grambling College in north Louisiana. After attending the summer session, she became homesick and transferred to Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition in 1969.

In the Fall of 1965, she met Anderson S. Jackson, III, and they married on December 2, 1967. While Andy, as she affectionately called him, was completing graduate school and his military commitment as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army, Rena was busy meeting the requirements to become a registered dietitian, with an intense focus on successfully passing the examination mandated by the American Dietetic Association. Andy became the Head Basketball Coach at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Rena worked for three years at Drew Hospital while enrolled in graduate school at the University of Alabama. Immediately upon receiving her Master of Science Degree, she was hired to teach Food and Nutrition there.

Rena's life journey returned her to north Louisiana when she and Andy moved to Monroe. She taught nutrition at Northeast Louisiana University and later took a leave of absence to work on her Ph.D. in Nutrition at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. Former President Lawson Swearingen appointed Dr. Jackson as the Department Head of Family and Consumer Science. Her teaching career at Northeast Louisiana University spanned 36 years.

Rena quietly volunteered and devoted her time to many organizations. One of her favorite commitments was to St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, where she worked with her dear friend, Betty Ardito. Pastimes she enjoyed were gardening with Braylee, reading, spending time with her grandchildren, cooking, trying new recipes, playing tennis, fellowshipping with her tennis group, visiting with her sister, Judy, and walking with her neighbor and friend, Antoinette Brooks Hoard.

She was a member of the American Dietetic Association, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a life member of the Southern University Alumni Federation.

Rena loved the Lord, her family, and especially her sons and grandchildren. In her mild manner, she offered nutritional food information and recipes to her family when requested. In her kitchen, four generations enjoyed healthy foods, such as vegetable-ladened soups and whole grain breads. It was a special treat when she created her yummy snickerdoodles.

Rena was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Sidney. On March 14, 2023, in Monroe, Louisiana, she transitioned from her earthly journey. She leaves to cherish her sweet memory: her husband of fifty-five years, Anderson S. Jackson, III; two sons - Brian Keith Jackson and Brandon Keith Jackson; two grandchildren - Braylee Kamille Jackson and Braydon Keith Jackson; daughter-in-law, Evonique; a loving sister, Judy Fontenot-Ardoin Reynolds; one uncle, Pete Thomas, and a host of other close relatives and friends.

Funeral services are Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.

Photo Bessie Rena Fontenot Jackson