“I had a great friendship with him. I went to his house of worship on Easter. He gave great sermons,” Lyons said. “We had conversations about trends in society, civility, people respecting each other, and politics. He had a vast network of people and experiences. He knew about the divine, and he knew the game of life. He loved politics.”
“He was never afraid to make a phone call on someone’s behalf,” Lyons told the Shelton Herald. “He didn’t have a resource that he couldn’t reach out to no matter what the situation was.”
United States senator Richard Blumenthal took to Twitter to express his grief over the loss of Jackson.
“Losing Tommie Jackson is a gut punch—a warm, wise, wonderful community & faith leader, a tireless & fearless champion of social justice, & a dear friend,” wrote Bluenthal. “My heart goes out to his family.”
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During his last sermon at Rehoboth Fellowship Church, which he delivered this past Sunday, July 23, Jackson told his congregations, “God watches over his people. And I’ve come out here to tell somebody today that being on the Lord’s side is still the right place to be, that if God is for you, he’s more than any weapon that could be formed against you.”
“The weapon of poverty—God will take care of you. The weapon of destitution—God will take care of you. The weapon of being depressed…God will take care of you,” Jackson preached.
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Jackson is survived by his wife, Dorye, and their two daughters, Evinn and Erin.
