Cape mother of 20 talks about raising a big family

Hazel Jackson has been surrounded by children for a good portion of her life -- whether they were brothers and sisters, or her own.

Jackson grew up in a family of 21 in Dexter, Missouri, and had 20 of her own, eight of whom are still living.

"I wanted two girls and two boys, but I wound up with 20," the 83-year-old Cape Girardeau resident said.

Jackson and her husband, Pearl, who died last week, were married in 1949 for 20 years before he left and moved to Mississippi. They stayed in touch over the years, though.

Because her husband was absent, Jackson raised many of her children alone. She supported her family by working as a cook at the N'Orleans restaurant in Cape Girardeau, cleaning houses and taking care of other people's children, some of whom were well-known in town.

Hazel Jackson, 83, sits with her oldest daughter and eighth child of 20, Delois Jackson, inside her Cape Girardeau home Wednesday. (Laura Simon)

When she was working, her mother, Odell Ayres, took care of Jackson's children. "I had it made with her," Jackson said of her mother.

Most recently, she raised one of her grandchildren.

"I love 'em," Jackson said of children. "If I could, I'd have some more."

Delois Jackson, one of Hazel's daughters, said her mother instilled a never-give-up spirit in her children, and she always was able to give equal attention to them. But with that many siblings, the older ones took care of the younger ones.

"We always had someone to play with," Jackson said. "We always had a friend."

And all of them were into sports. One brother played football and Delois ran track at Central High School.

Hazel's children remain close. Everyone gets together at Thanksgiving, and they plan to hold a barbecue for Mother's Day today.

"She will have a barbecue and she said bring her lots of plants," Delois said. "She loves to garden and plant things."

Jackson and her sister, Louise Colon, have attended The Hoover Center together for about three years. The two rarely miss a day going to the center, which provides a variety of activities for senior citizens to keep them active and engaged, and they're always happy and upbeat.

"Everybody gets a real kick out of them," said Cherie Herbst, coordinator of The Hoover Center.

Herbst said Jackson is active in her Pentecostal church, which she attends each Sunday, likes to sit outside and loves to cook. Colon makes the cakes and pies in the household, which Herbst said is filled with family photographs.

Throughout her life, Herbst said, Jackson has managed "very well" with family members helping each other.

"She's still a very strong woman, a very hard worker," Herbst said. " ... She's very strong willed and very faithful. Every day is sunshine for her."